New Sheriffs Take the Reins |
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On January 1, 2024, four new Sheriffs and Undersheriffs began their public service across the state, taking over the reins from predecessors with long-standing careers in law enforcement who decided to step down from their Offices. |
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Kyle Bourgault (pictured, left) succeeded Rensselaer County Sheriff Patrick Russo. Sheriff Bourgault is a 16-year veteran of the Office and most recently served as an Administrative Sergeant who handled pistol permits and acted as the Agency’s Public Information Officer.
He is joined by Undersheriff Mike Dinardo (right), a 23-year veteran with the Sheriff’s Office.
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Tim Thompson (pictured, left) and Melinda Marquart (right) were sworn in as Seneca County Sheriff and Undersheriff. Thompson replaces Tim Luce, who served two terms as Sheriff and began his career in law enforcement nearly 40 years ago. Sheriff Thompson started his career as a Dispatcher in 1999 and became a Deputy Sheriff in 2004. He was promoted to Sergeant, moved to the Criminal Investigation Division and was promoted to Investigator Lieutenant before being elected Sheriff.
Undersheriff Marquart has nearly 20 years of law enforcement experience. She is a former School Resource Officer and DARE Instructor and was at one time assigned to the Office’s Family Services Unit, conducting investigations of child abuse and domestic violence cases.
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—— St. Lawrence County —— |
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Rick Engle (pictured, right) was elected Sheriff following Brooks Bigwarfe’s decision not to run for another term. Engle is a 20-year veteran of the Sheriff’s Office and previously served in the United State Marine Corps.
Serving as Engle’s Undersheriff is Shawn McCarger (left).
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Frank Ryan (pictured, right), who has been with the Sheriff’s Office since 1993, is the new Yates County Sheriff. Sheriff Ryan started his career with the Sheriff’s Office as a part-time corrections officer and on the Marine Patrol Unit. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice from SUNY Brockport.
Brandon Jensen (left) is the new Yates County Undersheriff. He is a 23-year veteran of the Sheriff’s Office, beginning his career as an Emergency Services Dispatcher in 2000. Undersheriff Jensen has held a number of positions within the Sheriff’s Office, including a K-9 Unit Supervisor and serving as a certified New York K-9 Trainer and Examiner.
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Five New Undersheriffs Added to Rosters |
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Along with the four new Sheriff / Undersheriff teams, five incumbent Sheriffs in the last year appointed new Undersheriffs, shown below: |
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Dustin Smietana, Chenango County |
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Chad Burhans, Cortland County |
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Donald Draper, Orleans County
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Jeffrey R. Brown, Saratoga County |
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James Mullen, Ulster County |
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Congratulations to all new leaders sworn to protect and serve the citizens of their Counties. |
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Adding to the Accolades – Rossano Rosado (above left), Commissioner of the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS), thanks Yates County Sheriff Ron Spike (right) last year for nearly three decades' service – with five different Governor appointments – as Chair of the state’s Municipal Police Training Council (MPTC). During his tenure, the MPTC and DCJS staff conducted a comprehensive review and upgrade of basic training required for all municipal police recruits in the state. “We at DCJS are indebted to Sheriff Spike for sharing his time, knowledge and experience with us,” noted the Commissioner, presenting him with a Certificate of Appreciation. Sheriff Spike will continue his public service as Chair of the Yates County Traffic Safety Board.
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A Show of Force, a Show of Support – Sheriffs from throughout the region congratulate Rensselaer County Sheriff Patrick Russo during his walkout ceremony on December 29. From left to right: Warren County Sheriff Jim LaFarr, Fulton County Sheriff Richard Giardino, Washington County Sheriff Jeffrey Murphy, Sheriff Russo, Saratoga County Sheriff Michael Zurlo, former Columbia County Sheriff Dave Bartlett and New York State Sheriffs’ Association Executive Director Peter Kehoe.
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Albany County Sheriff Appointed as NYS Rep to NSA Board |
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A New Role – Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple (pictured, left) has been appointed by the current President of the National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA) as New York State representative to the NSA’s Board of Directors.
“I am confident you are the Sheriff to perform these duties,” NSA President Greg Champagne (right) noted in a recent message. “It is our hope that you are able to attend . . . meetings of the Association and in particular, our board meetings, so that you can effectively report on our activities to your fellow Sheriffs in New York.” Congratulations, Sheriff Apple.
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Preventing the Spread of Viruses in County Jails |
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County jails continue to receive attention from Sheriff’s Offices on ways to combat the spread of covid and other viruses in their facilities. Bob Cuttita, Project Manager at the New York State Sheriffs’ Association, continues his work with Jail Administrators across the state on this issue.
Grant funding through the New York State Sheriffs’ Association can provide tools to help mitigate the spread of viruses and other airborne contaminants, using high-capacity air purifying units (like the one pictured), monitoring systems, and state-of-the art cleaning equipment.
“Each facility will have the option to receive two portable ThinkLite ICON Air units,” explained Mr. Cuttita. “One for booking and one for the visitor’s entrance to ensure the air quality for all is the best it can be.”
Nearly 20 County Jails currently have such systems in place, with seven more on track to install them shortly. For more information, contact Bob Cuttita.
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Sitting Pretty – A ThinkLite ICON Air Unit
in operation at the Columbia County Jail.
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Onondaga County Sheriff's Office Receives Wellness Funding |
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In Support of Wellness – The Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office received $100,000 in funding from State Senator John Mannion to support the Sheriff's Office Mental Health and Wellness programs.
“Whether it’s a deputy [with] some type of depression, has some type of issue, whether it's an officer-involved shooting. Regardless of what the issue is, we’ll have a person on staff who will deal with that," said Onondaga County Sheriff Toby Shelley (pictured, right), who believes this move is a big step toward breaking the stigma around law enforcement and mental health.
“In our time . . . nobody really cared about how you felt about something,” noted the Sheriff.
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Ontario County 9-1-1 Center is Reaccredited |
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Keeping the Lines of Communication Open – The Ontario County Sheriff’s Office was presented with a plaque recognizing reaccreditation of its 9-1-1 Center. This is a distinction held by only 13 of New York State’s 62 emergency communication centers after meeting or exceeding all standards of professionalism set by experts in the field of Public Safety Communications. Above (l – r) Ontario County Sheriff’s Chief Communications Officer Steve DeChick, NYSSA Executive Director Peter Kehoe, Ontario County Sheriff Dave Cirencione and Accreditation Manager / Senior Communications Officer Dustin Gittens mark the occasion.
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Reaccreditation for Tompkins County Corrections Division |
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A Noteable Achievement – (l – r) Tompkins County Undersheriff Jennifer Olin, Sheriff Derick Osborne, NYSSA Executive Director Peter Kehoe and Tompkins County Sheriff’s Captain Raymond Bruce display the plaque and accompanying certifications noting the work done by the Tompkins County Sheriff’s Office to achieve reaccreditation of its Corrections Division. The reaccreditation is effective through fall 2027.
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It’s here! The New York State Sheriffs' Association Annual Winter Training Conference at the Crown Plaza Albany / Desmond Hotel opens next week. It's not too late to register through the link above.
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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.
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The Committee on Policing and Safeguarding Schools has announced its third annual C-PASS School Safety Training Conference and Networking Dinner, a four-day event at the Holiday Inn in Saratoga Springs. This is the premier training event for School Resource Officers and School Resource Deputies in New York State. Don’t miss it!
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Created from the Heart and in the Spirit of the Season |
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From the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page:
Each year, as part of our Inmate Programs, the incarcerated individuals at the Oneida County Jail are offered the opportunity to design Holiday / Christmas cards, one of which is chosen to be used that year as the official Sheriff’s Office Christmas card. Year after year, some amazing artistic talent is revealed and this year was no different (below):
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This year, there are two official Christmas cards for the agency. One is the winning card drawn by an incarcerated individual . . .
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. . . and the other is a card that features, Addie, our new emotional support dog at the Sheriff’s Office: |
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