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Police Divisions /  Detective Bureau

Detective Bureau Function

The Detective Bureau is staffed by one Captain, three Detective Lieutenants, three Detective Sergeants and twenty Detectives. Bureau personnel are responsible for the follow-up investigations of crimes and the apprehension of offenders. The Detective Bureau also assists the patrol division when necessary with follow up interviews and written statements. The Special Victims Unit, which falls under the command of the Detective Bureau, handles all of our juvenile cases and missing person complaints.

If you filed a police report to be investigated by the detective bureau and would like to speak with the assigned detective, please call (716) 689-1333, Mon. through Fri. 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM.



Crime Prevention Tips

Listed below are 24 crime prevention tips to help make your community a safer environment in which to live.

  • Install secure locks on doors and windows and use them. Lock the door even if you leave the house for only a short while.
  • Use a deadbolt to replace key-in-the-knob locks.
  • Secure sliding glass doors and windows with a broomstick, “Charlie Bar,” or keyed locking device.
  • Check door hinges to ensure they are protected from removal from the outside.
  • Install sufficient interior lighting. A burglar will avoid a home or business where he can be easily observed.
  • Keep shrubs and landscaping trimmed below window height. Why give a thief a hiding place?
  • Do not leave extra keys in the mailbox or under the doormat, this makes it easy for a burglar to enter your home without damage and could go unnoticed for some time. Leave extra keys with a trusted neighbor.
  • Always ask to see identification before opening the door to a stranger.
  • Keep valuables - coin or stamp collections or jewelry in a safe-deposit box.
  • Don’t leave tools exposed in an unlocked garage. A burglar can steal them or use them to enter your home.
  • Don’t give strangers information over the telephone. Report annoying calls and repeated wrong numbers to the police and phone company.
  • Report broken street lights - don’t give a thief a hiding place.
  • Record your credit card numbers and serial numbers of valuable documents and store them in a safe place or safe-deposit box.
  • Keep emergency telephone numbers near the phone.
  • If you’re working in the backyard or basement, be sure to lock the front door. Homes have been burglarized while the owners were working in the yard.
  • Close and lock all garage doors. An empty garage tells a thief that no one is home.
  • Women living along should list only their last name and first initial on mailboxes or in the telephone directory.
  • Mark your property with an Operation I.D. number. Operation I.D. is a free service provided by your local law enforcement agency through which you permanently mark or engrave all of your valuables for identification.
  • If you come home and find that your home has been burglarized, don’t touch anything! Go to a neighbor’s home immediately and call your local police department.
  • While you’re away from home, notify trusted neighbors, have them pick up mail and packages or ask the Postal Service to hold them for you until you return. Cancel newspapers and any other deliveries. Accumulated newspapers tell a burglar you’re not at home.
  • Lock your car at all times, even in your driveway. Never leave your keys in the ignition, glove box, visors, under mats or in cup holders. Some perpetrators rely on unlocked vehicles to steal from or to operate.
  • Don’t leave packages, cell phones, wallets, personal music players on the seat of your car or where they’re visible. Take valuables with you.  Do not rely on locking items in the trunk if you vehicle has fold down rear seats which make the trunk accessible from the passenger compartment.
  • If you’re followed or harassed while driving, drive to the police station. If the station is too far away, drive to a gas station, shopping center, or other well-lit area and call the police.
  • Remember if you call 911 from your cell phone, your call might not be answered by the police agency that will respond to your location. Please be aware of the location or town you are in so your call can be transferred to the appropriate emergency services operator without delay. If you use your cell phone as your home phone please find out the 7 digit number of your local police department, fire department and store it in your cell phone memory.

About Amherst

The Town of Amherst was established in 1818 and celebrated its 200th Anniversary in 2018. The town has a geographical area of 53.6 square miles and a population of greater than 122,000.

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Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

The Town of Amherst ADA Coordinators are Robert McCarthy (Director of Human Resources) and Mark Berke (Commissioner of Buildings).

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The Town of Amherst takes great pride in providing useful, timely and accurate information through its official website. We encourage public participation in our website and ask that you provide your feedback to help us make our site even better. Contact the website administrator at toawebsite@amherst.ny.us.

Get in Touch

  • General Information:
    (716) 631-7000
  • Email:
    toainfo@amherst.ny.us
  • Address:
    Municipal Building (Town Hall)
  • 5583 Main Street
  • Williamsville, NY 14221