UCLM’s Reverend Stewart Reaches Out to Law Enforcement in the Wake of the Buffalo Mass Shooting

Concerned about copycat killings, Reverend Lewis Stewart sent an email to members of the Monroe County law enforcement community. See his note and two of the responses he received below.

Good morning Chiefs, Sheriff, and District Attorney,

Given the dastardly and racially motivated killings which took place in Buffalo this weekend, I am asking law enforcement to be on the alert for any white supremacist activities which would foster copycat killings here in Rochester and Monroe County. It seems that counter measures should be planned in terms of intervention and prevention.

I await your confirmation of receiving this email and any response.

Regards,

Rev. Lewis Stewart, President

United Christian Leadership Ministry

Response from Monroe County Sheriff Todd Baxter:

Reverend,

The massacre of ten innocent people, and victimization of many more, who were simply on a routine trip to the grocery store….gone in an instant at the hands of a racist monster. Know that we all would stand on that line to protect those innocent people. 

We have a good relationship in Monroe County with our law enforcement partners, mental health professionals, schools… We established a targeted violence threat assessment and mitigation team (ROCTAC) a couple years ago; if a threat is brought to our attention, we utilize this multi-disciplined team to share information and help mitigate.

We encourage anyone with information or thoughts, to please call, no matter how insignificant it may seem,  as it may be part of a more complex, overall puzzle.

Please let me know if there is any way we can help.  

Response from Monroe County District Attorney Sandra J Dooley:

Rev. Stewart,

I hope that you are doing well.  I am having a hard time understanding how someone can wake up one morning, and decide to kill people because of the color of their skin.  I can only assume that he is pure evil with unmeasurable hate in his heart.

In response to your email, I am confident that our law enforcement agencies will be extra vigilant to ensure that tragedy does not strike in Rochester.

Be safe!