Erie County officials found no issues with Granville's case

Erie County officials are facing scrutiny over the handling of a case involving Daniel "D.J." Granville, the chief of narcotics for the Sheriff's Office. Granville crashed a county pickup truck into seven parked cars last April and later faced only a minor jaywalking charge. Questions have arisen about how other county offices, including the Comptroller's Office and the County Attorney’s Law Department, did not notice any red flags regarding Granville's incident. Despite the county being responsible for paying $60,000 in settlements to the car owners, county officials claim they received no information that warranted further investigation. County Comptroller Kevin Hardwick stated that the documents available to his office did not suggest any major concerns related to the crash. He emphasized that the claims process for such incidents typically does not trigger alarms within his office. County Attorney Jeremy Toth echoed this sentiment, saying their review did not indicate any misconduct by Granville that would prevent the county from paying the claims. The incident occurred on April 11, when Granville crashed the truck while driving the wrong way on a one-way street. He took four weeks of sick leave after this crash. The Buffalo Police Department's Internal Affairs is currently investigating the matter, and results are expected in the coming weeks. There are also questions about whether Granville was on duty during the crash. If he was off duty, the county might seek to recover the settlement from his personal insurance. This situation contrasts with a previous case involving another deputy, who faced more severe consequences for crashing a county vehicle while off duty. An investigation by the County Legislature into how the Granville incident was managed is scheduled for April 24. Additionally, the Buffalo Common Council's Police Oversight Committee will hold an inquiry on April 17.