Erie County Legislator Chris Greene recently honored two members of the Amherst Police Department for their constant dedication to the force as well as the community they serve.

Chief John C. Askey has served in the Amherst Police Department for 33 years. Throughout each step in his career, Chief Askey showed honesty, humility, empathy, vision and resilience—all characteristics that have contributed to his success as a law enforcement leader. His leadership throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and the civil unrest in 2020 kept his 150 sworn officers and other employees of the APD safe from harm’s way.

As a result of his hard work and sacrifices, Chief Askey has been named the recipient of the 2020 Captain Donald C. Kieffer Leadership Award by the Amherst Police Club.

Detective Mark Pitirri has served in the Amherst Police Department for 27 years. Detective Pitirri served as a Drug Abuse Resistance Education instructor and left such an impact on his students they, in turn, chose his as the speaker for their graduation.

Since becoming Detective, Pitirri has devoted a great deal of time to the Special Victims Unit where he has encountered some of the most difficult and traumatic cases of his career.

Because of his continued commitment and great police work, Detective Pitirri has been named the recipient of the 2020 Captain Donald G. Wright, St. Memorial Award by the Amherst Police Club.

Legislator Greene said, “Chief Askey and Detective Pitirri are shining examples of dedication and professionalism. They are both valuable assets to the Amherst Police Department and I am happy they have been recognized and given deserving awards by the Amherst Police Club. I am also honored to have been able to stand in their company while I presented them both with proclamations—detailing how important their service is to Erie County.”

Legislator Greene also received a tour of the Amherst Police Department’s new state-of-the-art training facility with a 180 degree simulator, long gun range, visual presentation technology and a customizable residential and school active drill component. Once completed, it will be utilized by all law enforcement agencies in the area.