Officer Michael Lewandowski removes man from courtroom

3 years ago
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Town of Tonawanda police officer who was suspended four times since 2017 for various departmental violations has been fired by the town over the officer's vehement objections.

The Tonawanda Town Board on Monday terminated Officer Michael G. Lewandowski, who had served previous suspensions for forcibly removing spectators from Town Court, pressuring a state trooper to fix a relative's ticket and pursuing a suspect in violation of department policy.

The town began proceedings to terminate Lewandowski after he was suspended without pay for his response in November 2020 to a neighbor dispute.

"I believe that his actions over numerous occasions warrant the action that the Town Board took last night," Town Supervisor Joseph Emminger said Tuesday.

Lewandowski is a Marine combat veteran and has received several department and community awards. In 2019, he was named the American Legion's law enforcement officer of the year for Erie County and New York state, after he chased and arrested a domestic violence suspect who was armed with a handgun.

"You have only received half of the story," Lori Lewandowski said Monday, joining her husband in urging the board to not take away his badge.

The Buffalo News in February reported on his disciplinary record and the town's efforts to fire Lewandowski.

Police Capt. David R. Price in December cited a "written record of repeated infractions and poor evaluations" for the officer, noting he had received nine letters of counsel and four more serious reports of violation since 2011.

In the 2016 Tonawanda Town Court incident, according to video footage obtained by The News and WKBW-TV in separate public-records requests, Lewandowski approached a man and woman as they sat along the main aisle and soon pulled them out of the courtroom with the help of another officer.

He is shown pushing the woman backward through the doors at the rear of the courtroom and, per a hallway camera, throwing punches at the man, although it's not clear whether the blows connected. When the woman tried to intercede, Lewandowski shoved her head back against the wall, before he and the other officer wrestled the man to the ground.

As part of his discipline, Lewandowski was required to undergo training in how to avoid bias and act professionally toward the public. Emily Trott, Lewandowski's lawyer, previously said her client acted appropriately in the encounter.

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