Buffalo City Court's caseload will be reduced thanks to its new Community Dispute Resolution Program.

It allows for cases such as harassment, noise complaints, minor assaults and property damage to be resolved through mediation which will be led by the Child & Family Center for Resolution and Justice.

“This program will now offer important conflict coaching services, which will allow eligible defendants to work with a trained conflict coach one-on-one to explore other people's perspective about the conflict, learn important de-escalation skills, and also communication skills to minimize the chance of being involved in the criminal justice system again,” said Center for Resolution and Justice Director Julie Loesch.

Chief Judge Craig Hannah says the program is significant because he estimates neighbor disputes take up half the court's time.

"Our cops respond, people get arrested, people spend the night in jail, they're not happy with the outcome, they go back home, they're right next door to each other. And guess what happens? The cops come back again. People get arrested. It's a revolving door," Hannah said.

The program is funded through a grant through the state's Office of Court Administration.

Erie County District Attorney John Flynn says it allows for his office to better focus on fewer cases.

"We can utilize our resources for the more serious crimes, which need obviously more accountability attention," Flynn said.

Parties are referred to the program by the public defender's office, DA's office or by the judge.

If no agreement is made in mediation, the case goes back to City Court.

If there is an agreement, Flynn said he’ll dismiss the case.

The Center for Resolution and Justice says it is currently prepared for 20-30 cases per month, and will also offer 30-hour training sessions in the fall and spring for volunteers who would like to be mediators.