South Buffalo welcomes new police officer, looks to hire another

South Buffalo has hired a second full-time police officer and plans to add a third.

Aaron S. Fuesting, 24, was hired as the department’s newest officer on Jan. 4. After completing training, Fuesting’s first day on duty was Wednesday.

He will make $17.50 an hour.

“It was kind of a no-brainer that I was going to go into police work,” said Fuesting of Harrison. “From a young age, I always wanted to do it.”

Fuesting joined the military when he was 19. He now serves in the Pennsylvania Air National Guard’s 171st Air Refueling Wing.

He said he had family members in law enforcement, inspiring him to follow in their footsteps.

“I enjoy helping people,” Fuesting said.

Fuesting worked as a police officer in Freeport for about a year before being hired in South Buffalo.

“He was a perfect fit for us,” South Buffalo police Chief Jeff Kuntz said. “He was familiar with the area. He has a year of experience under his belt. He brings a lot of energy and excitement to the department. He has a good head on his shoulders. He checked all the boxes. He’s a perfect fit for us here.”

Fuesting said he was eager to finish training and begin patrolling this week.

“I just joined to help the everyday person,” Fuesting said. “I hope anybody who needs help with anything comes up to me. It doesn’t matter what the situation is, I’ll treat everybody fairly and I’ll treat everybody equally.”

Originally, Fuesting was supposed to be hired as the department’s third full-time officer. But another officer recently left, making Fuesting their second officer. The department is hoping to hire a third officer soon, Kuntz said.

The department currently has no part-timers.

“I would like to bolster the department — do it slowly and wisely so we don’t have to raise taxes,” Kuntz said, noting that the township budgeted for him to hire a third officer without a tax increase.

Kuntz said South Buffalo’s department was bigger when he was hired as a part-time patrolman in 2003. Budget cuts and other factors shrunk the department, but he said the goal is to “bring us back to what we were then.”

“I see South Buffalo having extreme growth potential,” Kuntz said. “I don’t want to be behind the 8 ball and play catch-up. It’s just to provide a better service to our community. We want to provide them the best service we can and we want to give them a police department they can be proud of.”

Anyone interested in applying for South Buffalo’s third full-time officer position should contact the department at 724-295-0466.