After nearly 30 years in law enforcement, Cayuga County Sheriff Brian Schenck (pictured) announced in November he will not run for a third term after his current term ends in December 2026.

Sheriff Schenck, who has served in the position since 2019, says he remains committed to fulfilling his duties for the remainder of his term, but then plans to step aside to pursue new opportunities and spend more time with his family.

“It has truly been the honor of a lifetime,” noted Sheriff Schenck, who praised the members of his staff with whom he has worked. “I am deeply proud of our organization and of the men and women, past and present, who have served with dedication and professionalism.”

Schenectady County Undersheriff James Barrett (at right in photo) will retire this month, marking the end of his 32-year career.

Sheriff Dominic Dagostino (pictured left), who last month won another term as Sheriff in an uncontested race, announced that Michael Brown will take over as Undersheriff on January 1. Brown is the current Police Chief in Rotterdam and has served for 29 years with the Rotterdam Police Department.

Undersheriff Barrett rose through the ranks, starting his career with the Sheriff’s Office in 1994 as a Corrections Officer. He later held the ranks of Sergeant, Lieutenant, Captain and Superintendent. He played an instrumental role in the accreditation of all three Divisions of the Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff Dagostino praised Barrett, referring to him as his childhood friend and saying he “is one of the best managers I have ever had the privilege of working with.”

The Sheriff is also good friends with incoming Undersheriff Brown, whom he’s known for close to 30 years. “He will be a great addition to this office, and I look forward to Chief Brown joining the staff here,” Sheriff Dagostino said in a statement.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office was honored to receive the 2025 Community Spirit Award from The Arc Jefferson - St. Lawrence. The Sheriff’s Office was recognized for its Blue Envelope program, Autism Awareness patches, and Lt. Shaun Cuddeback’s tireless dedication to Special Olympics New York.

Pictured is Jefferson County Sheriff Peter Barnett (left) receiving the award from Ms. Lynn Pietrosky, CEO of The Arc Jefferson – St. Lawrence, which is one of 35 local Chapters of The Arc New York, the largest provider of supports and services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in New York State. Congratulations to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office!

Earlier this fall, the Ontario County Sheriff’s Office was honored to host a Law Enforcement Chaplain Training Seminar sponsored by the New York State Sheriff’s Association. Twenty-five chaplains and law enforcement professionals from across thirteen counties attended this valuable training, which covered a variety of topics including peer chaplaincy, death notifications and resilience in law enforcement.

Jim Bontrager, Chaplain of the Elkhart, IN Police Department and Past President of the International Conference of Police Chaplains (ICPC) was the main presenter. Ontario County Sheriff David Cirencione gave a special shout-out to Chautauqua County Sheriff and NYSSA President James Quattrone “who made this day happen for us.”

Representatives from the Allegany, Chautauqua, Delaware, Greene, Monroe, Montgomery, Ontario, Orleans, Rensselaer, Schuyler, Seneca, Ulster and Wayne County Sheriff’s Offices were in attendance. Also present were Ontario County Sheriff David Cirencione, Chautauqua County Sheriff James Quattrone and Rensselaer County Sheriff Kyle Bourgault.

In Recognition — Pictured from left are Orange County Undersheriff Evelyn Mallard, DCJS Deputy Commissioner Michael Bonse, Deputy Joseph Carey and Sheriff Paul Arteta.

Orange County Sheriff Paul Arteta announced that Deputy Joseph Carey has received the 2024 Lifesaving Award from the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS). Deputy Carey was presented with the Award during a ceremony at the Sheriff’s Office by DCJS Deputy Commissioner Michael Bonse, on behalf of Commissioner Rossana Rosado.

While off duty and on his way to work, Deputy Carey stopped at the scene of a motorcycle crash and provided critical first aid that saved a man’s life. His quick actions gave a husband and father more time with his family.

Deputy Carey was honored in front of many of his colleagues, family, DCJS staff, and members of his New York Army National Guard unit. “We are incredibly proud of his actions and dedication to serving our community on and off duty,” noted Sheriff Paul Arteta in a Facebook post.

Sheriff James Allard (pictured) recently was presented with the Defender Award from the American Constitutional Rights Union (ACRU). He was recognized for honoring his Oath of Office and performing his duties in accordance with the Constitution of the United States of America.

The initiative recognizes law enforcement agencies and their leaders who honor their Oath of Office, uphold the law and demonstrate their cooperation and partnership with federal law enforcement agencies.

“I am honored to accept this award on behalf of the dedicated men and women of the Steuben County Sheriff’s Office. I have always advocated for strong partnerships with all our law enforcement partners whether local, state or federal. When we work together as a law enforcement profession it makes everyone safer, and that has always been my goal.”

In addition to his advocacy for strong partnerships, Sheriff Allard demonstrated his continuing commitment to officer wellness. In this photo, Sheriff Allard (at left) made a presentation at the New York State Chiefs and Sheriffs Joint Leadership Summit in November, sharing information about the New York State Sheriffs’ Institute Ron Spike Summer Camp and Wellness Center with law enforcement leaders in attendance.

Enhanced Tools to Fight Crime in Real Time — From left, Monroe County Executive Adam Bello, Monroe County Sheriff Todd Baxter and New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services Executive Deputy Commissioner Joseph Popcun commemorate the opening of the Regional Investigative Operations Center.

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, in collaboration with local, state and federal first responder partners, recently announced the launch of its new Regional Investigative Operations Center (RIOC) — a state-of-the-art Real-Time Crime Center and the first of its kind in Western NY.

The Center is designed to strengthen law enforcement coordination, streamline investigations and improve public safety across Monroe County and the surrounding region. The RIOC integrates the latest technology, real-time data analysis and collaboration between multiple law enforcement partners to provide immediate intelligence and situational awareness during active incidents and ongoing investigations.

“The RIOC is a game-changer for our region and a major step forward in how we protect and serve our community,” said Monroe County Sheriff Todd K. Baxter. “This Center gets critical information to the right people — especially first responders on the ground — in real time, helping prevent violence, solve cases faster and keeps our citizens and first responders safer. Public safety is a team effort, and through the RIOC we’re combining cutting-edge technology with strong partnerships across DCJS, our Crime Analysis Centers, Emergency Management, and local law enforcement to make our region safer – together.”

Law enforcement leaders gathered last month to honor a longtime Sheriff in Wayne County. The Public Safety Building in Lyons, NY has been renamed the Richard J. Pisciotti Public Safety Building. Pisciotti served as Wayne County Sheriff for 27 years.

Representatives from state and federal government spoke at the event. Four retired Sheriffs — Wayne County Sheriff Barry Virts, Yates County Sheriff Ron Spike, Livingston County Sheriff John York and Ontario County Sheriff Phil Povero — also spoke at the event; they all paid tribute to Pisciotti’s decades of service and leadership in the community.

The former Sheriff noted how this honor left him nearly speechless.

“I owe this to the past employees . . . and to the people of Wayne County. It’s . . . I can’t find the words,” said Pisciotti.

The Onondaga County Department of Emergency Management recently held a ceremony to dedicate its operations center to a Sheriff’s Deputy killed in the line of duty last year.

The building will be named the Lieutenant Michael Hoosock Emergency Management Center. Deputy Hoosock was fatally shot during a standoff in April 2024.

Onondaga County Sheriff Toby Shelley, Undersheriff Jeffrey Passino and other officials from the Sheriff’s Office attended the event. Sheriff Shelley said the hardest part of his remarks was looking at Hoosock’s children and knowing “Hooch isn’t with us.” He praised Hoosock’s ability to wear “a lot of hats” — deputy, firefighter, paramedic — and said it was fitting that those who train in the building will now do so under Hoosock’s name.

The Albany County Jail will soon be home to 16 additional dog kennels as part of a unique partnership with the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society, which has 79 kennels that are insufficient to meet the Society’s needs.

A project by Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple (pictured) hopes to address that problem. Sheriff Apple said he came up with the idea after he created housing for people who are homeless at the jail – the Sheriff’s Homeless Improvement Program. “Let’s take the folks in the homeless shelter . . . and have them come over and clean and walk the dogs,” he said.

Sheriff Apple hopes the kennels will open for its canine occupants by the end of the year.

Changes are on the horizon for dog control in Livingston County.

The County's Health Department has overseen dog control since its creation; it is the only Health Department in the State to do so. However, beginning next month, the Dog Control Department will be under the direction of the Livingston County Sheriff's Office.

Livingston County Sheriff Tom Dougherty said the change aims to improve services and response times.

"The biggest deal is that the Deputies are 24 / 7, 365," he said. "Someone calls in, says 'Hey, I got a stray dog in my front lawn right now.' If dog control's not on, they would have to respond out of their house. The Deputies are already on, so the response time should improve drastically, and the service should improve drastically."

The shift will also prevent duplicating resources. When dog control is called to a scene, Deputies often respond as well.

"If we're coming in anyway, to assist on those investigations and make the arrest, it makes sense for us to just do it all," Dougherty said. "I believe we can do it in a better fashion, both for the residents that are calling these complaints in and for the dogs."

Undersheriff (Ret.) Richard J. “Dick” Crannell, 89 (pictured), of Lake Luzerne, passed away early last month.

Dick served as a Deputy in the Warren County Sheriff’s Office for many years and was appointed Undersheriff in 1962, serving in that capacity until he was appointed as the Chief of Police for the Village of Corinth.

Undersheriff Crannell enjoyed hunting, fishing, boating, flying his airplane, skiing and was a member of the West Mountain Ski Patrol.

The Sheriffs’ Winter Training Conference — held at the Crown Plaza Albany / Desmond Hotel — coincides with the session of the State Legislature, emphasizing an analysis of legislative matters of concern to Sheriffs and identifying legislative priorities for the future. Programs also address current topics of importance to Sheriffs in law enforcement, corrections, court security and civil matters. Sheriffs also meet personally and informally with many state legislators and top state administrators to discuss important legislative and administrative issues.

At the NSA Winter Conference in Washington, DC, join high-level leadership from federal agencies, members of Congress, and very active Sheriffs who come together to explore current legislation, learn about relevant topics, and explore trending technologies and products.

C-PASS Conference | February 17 – 19, 2026

The New York State Sheriffs’ Association Committee on Policing and Safeguarding Schools is pleased to announce its fourth annual C-PASS School Safety Training Conference in Saratoga. The highlight of the Conference is the Networking Dinner, which brings attendees together in a social and collegial setting. Click the link above for registration and program information.

You Otter See This

A Florida Sheriff’s Office has introduced the nation’s first search‑and‑rescue otter, named Splash (shown above), to aid in missing‑person cases. Unlike canine units, Splash can detect human remains underwater by releasing air bubbles that trap scent for analysis. Law enforcement officials from across the state watched Splash demonstrate his skills. Splash has already participated in more than 20 missions, successfully locating four bodies.

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