Erie County District Attorney (ECDA) John J. Flynn, with assistant district attorneys (ADA), rolled out the ECDA School Critical Incident Initiative. There will be an ADA assigned to each public school district and they will meet the district to discuss their current safety protocols.

This will create investigation protocols with the school and law enforcement in response to critical incidents such as securing physical evidence and preserving digital evidence as well as obtaining search warrants to inspect and conducting interviews. The ECDA stated that this is in response to the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting and the threats that followed that incident in the greater Buffalo area.

North Collins Superintendent Scott Taylor said recently that he was just contacted by the district’s ADA that is assigned to be a liaison and will set up a meeting soon. He was supportive of the DA’s initiative.

“It’s a really nice level of support that DA is affording,” he said. “… Sadly, it comes in response that is coming not just in our region, but across the country. This initiative establishes support and uniform protocol with schools to his office. … It will be very beneficial and very helpful to the school districts. … It ultimately is part of the process for school safety.”

The plan was in discussion by Flynn at the 15th annual Safe School Initiative Seminar hosted by University at Buffalo on March 20. It was officially enacted on April 16.

Lake Shore Central School District’s Public Relations Director Joshua Gregory said that their school’s ADA has not contacted the school just yet, since it has only been two days, but the school’s current relationship with Evans Police has them in a comfortable position right now.

“We’ve had some internal meetings with school leaders,” Gregory said. “… We work very closely with the Evans Police Department. We have a very strong relationship with them.”