Buffalo cop sentenced in marijuana case
By: Daily Record Staff
James Hamilton Sr., 29, of Buffalo, has been
sentenced by Chief U.S. District Court Judge William M. Skretny to 18 months
for conviction of distribution of marijuana.
“A uniform is only as good as the person who
wears it,” said U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul Jr. “While the vast majority of
police officers are role models for us all, this office will not hesitate to
act where, as here, a member of law enforcement violates his oath and breaks
the law.”
Hamilton, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney
Timothy C. Lynch, was a probationary Buffalo police officer on Nov. 20 when he
sold a half pound of marijuana to a confidential source working with the Drug
Enforcement Administration and the Erie County Sheriff’s Department.
At the time, the defendant possessed his
Buffalo police-issued .40-caliber Glock handgun. He was arrested after the
sale. A search of his city home uncovered 80 marijuana plants, three to four
pounds of process marijuana and a shotgun.
Hamilton no longer works for the Buffalo Police
Department.