We are honored to cast a spotlight this week on Amherst Police Department (APD) Senior Traffic Investigator Brain Kern, who plays an integral role in securing Jewish Buffalo.
Brian has been a police officer with the APD since 2000. Born in Long Island, his father was a federal agent with the ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) and he always wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps. Kern arrived in Amherst with his parents and brother when he was just a toddler and despite moving around a bit as a child due to his father’s job, he knew he wanted to ultimately work for the Amherst Police Department so he and his family could remain in the area.
Brian is a proud graduate of Williamsville North High School, ECC and Buffalo State where he studied criminal justice. He and his wife, a court administrator for the town of Amherst, have two daughters and love living in the Northtowns.
Early in his career, Kern started as a patrolman, then a resource officer at Sweet Home High School for one year, after which he became a traffic investigator, a role he has had now for 8 years. Kern chose to be a traffic investigator because he enjoys being on the road and no two days are the same; every call and every stop is always different and keeps him on his toes. He notes, however, that one downside of working as a police officer is often having to work on holidays. Brian also shared that being a police officer has changed dramatically since the murder of George Floyd in 2020 and that he and his fellow officers feel they are viewed differently now.
Brian has a long-standing connection with the Jewish community since he started working with the Buffalo Jewish community back in 2001 when Todd Sugarman of Temple Beth Am contacted him to work security during High Holiday services. Fast forward 17 years to 2018, Susan DeMari, Director of Community Security for the Buffalo Jewish Federation, reached out to him after the Tree of Life shooting in Pittsburgh when Secure Jewish Buffalo started to take root. Since the events of October 7, 2023, Brian has taken on an even greater role with Secure Jewish Bufalo as he handles all the scheduling for all Amherst locations which now include Chabad at UB, Congregation Shir Shalom, Jewish Discovery Center, Kehillat Ohr Tzion, Temple Beth Tzedek, Temple Beth Zion (Broder), Young Israel and the Benderson Jewish Community Center. Brian jokingly says he’s the most Jewish Catholic guy you’ll ever meet, having built relationships with so many individuals throughout Jewish Buffalo over the years. Senior Traffic Investigator Kern is vital to the work done with Secure Jewish Buffalo in Amherst and we are grateful for his dedication and passion for our safety.
