06/05/2026
We said farewell to Danielle D’Abate who leaves the office today after more than 16 years of dedicated service.
Danielle joined the Erie County District Attorney’s Office as an Assistant District Attorney in 2010 where her compassion and empathy for victims and witnesses was readily apparent. She was later promoted to handle more serious criminal cases in the Domestic Violence Bureau and Felony Trials Bureau.
In 2017, Danielle was appointed by former District Attorney John Flynn to a newly established unit to handle community engagement initiatives and legal training for the office. As Special Assistant to the District Attorney, she served as the primary liaison between the District Attorney’s Office and the residents of Erie County. She was responsible for gathering information on constituent concerns and investigating potential crimes related to quality-of-life issues. She organized dozens of service opportunities for our office’s volunteer team, coordinating our involvement in neighborhood clean-ups, school supply collections, holiday meal giveaways, and other fundraisers and events to benefit local non-profit organizations that help those in-need.
As Special Assistant to the DA, Danielle coordinated our community support efforts following the racially-motived mass shooting on Buffalo’s East Side on May 14, 2022. She worked with numerous government offices, law enforcement agencies and community-based organizations to help the families of the victims, survivors and residents in the days, weeks and months after the attack.
In 2023, Danielle was appointed as the first Chief of the Raise the Age Bureau where she led a team of prosecutors responsible for handling the most serious felony cases involving adolescent and juvenile offenders in the Youth Part of Superior. She collaborated with law enforcement agencies and community organizations to develop programs to educate youth and prevent crime such as the Gun Violence Prevention Panel at Buffalo Public Schools. She also helped establish the Restorative Justice Youth Program, a program for eligible adolescent offenders involved in the criminal justice system with the goal to deter future criminal behavior.
She most recently served as a Chief of the Felony Trials Bureau where she trained newly appointed Assistant District Attorneys in all phases of prosecution, trial preparation and victim advocacy.
Danielle’s dedication was a gift to this community, and her work demonstrated how our office can better support and engage with the People we serve. She received the “Civil Servant of the Year 2023” award from the Legal and Business Professionals of Erie County, New York. In 2021, she was the recipient of an award for her work with PeacePrints of WNY, a non-profit organization that provides comprehensive re-entry services for individuals involved in the criminal justice system.
We wish Danielle well as she continues the next chapter of her legal career. Thank you for your service!
