BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Niagara District Council Member David Rivera wants to know why he is only now learning about an incident involving a high-ranking Erie County Sheriff's Office official that happened in his district nearly a year ago.
"When it came to light, I think yesterday, my first thought was through just so many unanswered questions that the general public would want to know," Rivera said.
The official at the center of the controversy is Chief of Narcotics and Intelligence Daniel "DJ" Granville, who is accused of being involved in a hit-and-run crash that damaged multiple vehicles on Buffalo’s West Side.
7 News obtained a copy of the invoice when Granville's county-issued pickup truck was sold at auction. County taxpayers got only $5,613.50 for the vehicle, which suffered "severe damage to front passenger side," according to the description from the auction site. It indicated the air bags had been deployed and the "front passenger side wheel is missing."
One of the vehicle owners has since filed a lawsuit against Granville, alleging he negligently and recklessly lost control of his county-owned vehicle while impaired at the intersection of Jersey and Prospect.
"You're going down a one-way street, and you hit seven cars," Rivera said. "This is the area where it happened. This isn't a very narrow street. This is a very wide street."
Rivera said it's unclear to him what actions were and were not taken that night.
Buffalo Police Department records show that the accident report from that night was signed by Lt. Lucia Esquilin, who, according to Investigative Post, is Granville’s sister-in-law.
"It frustrates me, because people are involved in accidents every single day, and they're treated differently," said Rivera. "If somebody was involved in an accident, they hit seven cars. There probably would have been a very thorough investigation, and perhaps even an arrest made."
Attorney John Elmore, a former state trooper and assistant attorney general, said law enforcement officers should be held to a higher standard.
"The cover up is worse than the screw up," he said. "And so if there was a cover-up, if there was intoxication, if there was actually leaving the scene of the accident, that was where there was property damage, then those are some very serious charges that require some sort of discipline. There should have been an independent investigation as to whether or not there was any wrongdoing. If there was, that officer should be facing appropriate discipline."
Rivera is now calling for a thorough investigation into the incident and said he has sent a letter to Buffalo Police Commissioner Alphonso Wright requesting a discussion at the next Police Oversight Committee meeting.
"I just want people to have confidence in the Buffalo Police Department, that everybody's going to be treated the same, regardless if they're a high-ranking county official or relative of police officers, you're treated the same," Rivera said.
7 News did reach out to the Attorney General's Office about conducting an investigation into this and has not yet heard back.
There is conflicting information as to whether Chief Granville was on or off duty during the incident. Multiple sources tell 7 News he had worked his regular shift earlier in the day and was clearly off duty, but Erie County Attorney Jeremy Toth sent the following statement:
In this particular case, we conducted our usual internal review after receiving the claims, determined that the Deputy was on-duty, acting within the scope of his employment and there was no criminal conduct or otherwise intentional behavior that would have provided a good faith defense to the County for paying the claims.
The Erie County Comptroller is making inquiries about the County's legal responsibility for paying claims related to the incident.
Erie County Legislature Chair Tim Meyers shared the following statement with 7 News regarding the incident:
The Erie County Legislature Majority Caucus is aware of the serious claims against the Erie County Sheriff’s Office and the Chief of the Narcotics and Intelligence Unit. As Chair, I take these matters seriously and believe a thorough investigation is essential. It is crucial to note that the Caucus learned of these claims through the public and media, just as the public did. Now, as the Buffalo Police Department’s Internal Affairs Division conducts its investigation, we demand full transparency. The Majority Caucus will continue to monitor the situation and will address it further at an upcoming Public Safety Committee meeting. At this time, we have no further comment.
