Brian Roche News

The Coast Guard participated in a multi-agency Northern Border Initiative exercise to strengthen inter-agency security partnerships in five New York locations, Thursday and Friday. Approximately 500 people from 20 Federal, State and local agencies, as well as cross-border partners in Canada participated in the exercise. Capt. Brian Roche, commander of Coast Guard Sector Buffalo, served as lead federal official in the exercise, which was organized by the Monroe County Emergency Management Office. The exercise offered an opportunity to test and develop multi-agency response capabilities, including coordination of surveillance resources and the tactical deployment of forces to counter a security threat.

The Coast Guard and the New York State Park Police have formally signed a cooperative agreement to clarify agency roles for operations in the Niagara Falls River. This historic cooperative agreement spells out the roles each agency will play during future operations between Niagara Falls and the whirlpool in the Niagara River gorge. Capt. Brian Roche, commander of Coast Guard Sector Buffalo, and Maj. David A. Page, commanding officer of the NYSPP Western Region, entered into the cooperative agreement to further enhance coordination of maritime incidents along the Niagara River.