NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. -- A falling out between state police and the Seneca Nation led to the presence of troopers to disappear from the floor of the Seneca Niagara Casino. Ever since, when someone calls 911, it's the Niagara Falls Police Department answering the phone.
"It creates a severe manpower drain because we don't have extra officers to cover that area, so essentially what it does is we have to pull officers from residential areas of the city to cover the casino proper and the gaming floor," said Niagara Falls Police Superintendent Bryan DalPorto.
Both DalPorto and Mayor Paul Dyster believe both the city and casino would benefit from a constant police presence.
"We have made proposals to them in the past. Those discussions haven't advanced in recent months," said Dyster, D-Niagara Falls.
Dyster says the casino may be hesitant to make a deal, because, he says, it felt the state overcharged it for police services.
"We would only charge them only what it costs to provide services," said Dyster.
In a statement, Seneca Nation officials say the nation pays the state a significant amount of revenue and the state is responsible for reimbursing the city for public safety costs.
"The Seneca Nation has no role in deciding how the State and the City allocate that funding, but perhaps the city should consider reallocating the funding they already receive for this service so that they can provide an appropriate level of police coverage and response."
Dyster says the city does use those funds for things like equipment.
"We believe that is entirely appropriate but that's a separate issue from paying for regular police services on a daily basis," said Dyster.
DalPorto says the three to six calls they average daily at the casino take away from the services provided to residents.
"While that officer is tied up on the casino gaming floor, he's not patrolling the city of Niagara Falls," said DalPorto.
It's not just about the money and the manpower, the lack of presence creates uncertainty for responding officers.
"If there were officers assigned there they would have situational awareness of what's going on, there's a lot of things that go on there, there's money that transacts through there it's a big concern for us and I hope we're not setting ourselves up for a disaster," said DalPorto.