Tonawanda police officer accused of mishandling drug evidence

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A Town of Tonawanda police officer who has since resigned faced disciplinary charges of misconduct, incompetence and violation of rules after he allegedly mishandled drug evidence last November, according to a notice filed in January.

Town officials believe the discipline of the officer, identified in the notice as Bikramjit Singh, caused the response of an alleged strike by police officers that began on Jan. 15 and ended on Feb. 5.

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The notice of charges against Singh was signed by Chief of Police James Stauffiger.

The officers are accused of writing fewer tickets or ignoring violations as part of the strike. The town — which filed charges against the police union, known as the Town of Tonawanda Police Club (TTPC) — released information supporting its allegations on Thursday.

In a statement on Friday, the TTPC called the town’s information “bogus” and defended the work officers have done in the three-week period, saying they produced “hundreds of tickets.” The town said a total of 123 tickets were produced during that time.

Singh, who started working for the Town of Tonawanda Police in July 2014, was on duty Nov. 1, 2024, when he responded to a report of criminal mischief at a residence near Irene Street. He spoke to the owner of the residence, who gave him information that a citizen placed a plastic water bottle on the porch of the house, the notice said.

The plastic bottle, which Singh allegedly observed to contain a plastic bag with illegal drugs inside of it, was retrieved by Singh with the help of the resident. Singh is accused of leaving the residence and failing to preserve and transport the drugs to a forensic lab, which the town said inhibited its ability to make an arrest, according to the notice.

It’s also alleged that Singh “failed to report the necessary information to the Department so that the proper personnel could be assigned to further investigate” the resident’s complaint. Singh is accused of making a false report by not including details relating to the findings of the drugs or what he did with it, according to the notice.

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Singh was also charged with conduct unbecoming of a police officer. The notice said he told Detective Captain William Krier that there were no drugs in the plastic bag and lied about throwing them in a garbage.

Along with the alleged mishandling of evidence, the notice’s charge of incompetence includes Singh’s negative evaluations and suspensions for various violations, including accusations of a prank which caused damage to an officer’s locker, engaging a vehicle pursuit during dangerous conditions, failing to properly supervise a call, and being involved in multiple vehicle accidents.

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Katie Skoog joined the News 4 team in April 2024. She is a graduate from the University at Buffalo. You can view more of her work here.

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