Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - To the surprise of many, the FBI's Buffalo field office got a major shout out from agency Director Kash Patel as he discussed the national manhunt for the alleged assassin of Charlie Kirk.
But, to FBI insiders, the Buffalo office - one of 56 nationwide agency field offices - gets the call for help more times than most realize.
"It happens everyday, all the time," said Bernard Tolbert, former Buffalo FBI field office supervisor and longtime NBA vice president of security. "These kind of things happen all the time."
Tolbert admitted he didn't know any of the specifics related to the manhunt of Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old, who the FBI alleges shot and killed Kirk.
But, during his tenure as Buffalo office supervisor Tolbert said they were frequently asked to play a role in a criminal investigation.
Tolbert cited two specific cases; One involved Pendleton native Timothy McVeigh, who was charged and convicted for bombing an Oklahoma City federal office building that killed 168 people. McVeigh was found guilty and executed in 2001.
"We were heavily involved with that," Tolbert said.
The Buffalo office was also deeply involved with John Walker, the Naval officer accused of spying for the Russians during the early 1980s.
"Walker had some connections to Buffalo," Tolbert said.
As for the manhunt for Robinson, Tolbert can only speculate that the Buffalo had a deep role in the investigation for it to get a shout out from Patel during a Sept. 12 press conference.
Representatives from the Buffalo field office declined to comment.
"Somehow, someway there was a connection," Tolbert said. "But, I can guarantee you they (the Buffalo) office is working on other (national) investigations too."