The quest for answers in the DJ Granville case continues as Buffalo Common Councilmember, David Rivera, said Tuesday he’s considering issuing a subpoena to the Buffalo Police Department compelling officials to explain the department’s handling of the incident.
Granville—chief of narcotics for the Erie County Sheriff’s Office—crashed his county-owned pickup into multiple parked cars in April 2024. In August he pleaded guilty to reckless driving and leaving the scene of a property damage accident – both misdemeanors.
Buffalo Police responded to the scene of the crashes, which only came to light 10 months later through local media reports. Five Buffalo Police officers have been placed on administrative leave in connection with the matter.
Rivera’s declaration comes after Buffalo police leadership said they were unable to attend a police oversight committee meeting this month to answer questions regarding their own internal investigation into the case. Rivera, who chairs that committee, said police officials gave their earliest availability as October.
“This [incident] happened 14 months ago, and it seems like it's taken forever. And that's one of the reasons people don't trust the process,” Rivera said. “It's taken way too much time. There's been a veil of silence from the BPD.”
A BPD spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment or to confirm the scheduling arrangements.
Buffalo Police Commissioner, Alphonso Wright, attended a police oversight committee to speak on the matter in April. However, he declined to answer the councilmembers' questions, saying that to do so would jeopardize the department’s own investigation along with the Niagara County DA’s separate criminal probe.
Last month, Rivera sent a letter to state Attorney General Letitia James asking her department to independently investigate the matter, a prospect that Governor Kathy Hochul said her office was “willing to have a conversation” about. But Buffalo Acting Mayor Chris Scanlon said that’s already in hand.
“That's exactly what's taking place right now with the Niagara County District Attorney again, and we'll see the results of that. And then subsequent to that, when the internal affairs investigation is released, we'll go from there,” he said.
Scanlon then took aim at Rivera, saying the former police officer of 25 years should know better.
“He [Rivera] should know that the police commissioner cannot come in and comment on an ongoing investigation, in particular when members of his department may be subject or subjects of that investigation,” he said.
Scanlon added that Wright could not attend a police oversight meeting in September due to members of his command staff being out of town or in training.
Wright and fellow top brass have attended a total of two police oversight committee meetings since he became police commissioner in January. That's one more than the previous commissioner Joseph Gramaglia in 2024, and equals Gramaglia's attendance in 2023.
Past meetings were regularly canceled and rescheduled during Gramaglia's tenure according to the common council's meeting records.
The council does have subpoena power as laid out in the city charter. After councilmembers mooted calling Gramaglia to testify since the incident occurred under his leadership, Council Majority Leader Leah Halton-Pope instructed the city's lawyers to find out whether they can summon non-employees.
