Buffalo, NY (WBEN) Former Erie County District Attorney John Flynn says he didn't remember any coverups of abuse at Buffalo Public Schools while he was in office. But he says there's a process for his office to look into allegations.
Flynn says before a DA can get involved, his office would need to be notified. "The very first thing that has to happen is that a official referral needs to be made to a law enforcement agency," says Flynn. "Whether it is a school official, or whether it's someone who just has some knowledge about a crime that may have occurred within the Buffalo Public School setting. Shoever that person is would then need to call a law enforcement agency." He says any agency can be notified.
Flynn says it depends on whether Buffalo school resource officers get involved. "They have Buffalo Police officers who actually work inside the schools, and they also have their own security department as well. The Buffalo Police Department and involvement in the Buffalo Public Schools has fluctuated over the course of the past eight years," says Flynn. "There's also a Security Department involvement too, and that would normally be the mechanism that first gets initiated from is that either the internal security department or the Buffalo Police Department will will take the initial role in doing that investigation, initially." Flynn notes school resource officers will take the first step, and then allow Buffalo Police to take over the investigation.
Has Flynn seen a coverup in Buffalo Public Schools like what's being alleged now during his time as DA? "I can't remember in my tenure whether or not there was any major allegation like this, of sexual assault and cover up by Buffalo Public Schools," says Flynn. He notes there were other matters with violence and shootings and stabbings. He says the key thing that's got to happen is that the individual or individuals who were assaulted, they need to come forward and report to the Buffalo Police Department, or to the DAs office. "Having a third party involved who is kind of making these allegations without being the actual victim helps, and it gives you a start, but you really can't go anywhere in this type of investigation unless the actual individual who was the victim of the crime comes forward."