Lack of Qualified and Interested Applicants Daunt Sheriffs |
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Labor shortages are not just occurring in the hospitality and food-services industries. Law enforcement is also feeling the pinch.
“We’ve had numerous people on our lists just say no, they don’t want to be police officers anymore,” reports Columbia County Sheriff David Bartlett (pictured), President of the New York State Sheriffs’ Association, citing how fewer and fewer people want to put on a uniform and badge. “Getting qualified candidates to become cops is tough.”
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Clinton County Sheriff David Favro (pictured) said two qualified candidates for open Deputy jobs recently turned down job offers, citing the fact they were switching their career plans. One applicant mentioned "the instability of law enforcement" and his concern with personal liability issues as well as the "defund the police" movement, Favro said.
Sheriff Favro predicted that while some elected officials are now pushing for more rules for police officers, the climate will change when the surging crime rate demands more police hiring. As it is now, he said, "we are seeing a wicked increase in gun violence, shootings and defiance of police officers" across the nation.
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Warren County Sheriff's Office Creates New Overdose Databank |
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The Warren County Sheriff’s Office unveiled a new online database to better educate the public about drug overdoses in Warren County. The site was created due to increased substance abuse during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The website breaks down 2021 overdoses by drug type, community, age of the individual and whether there was a fatality. It also details use of the opioid antidote Naloxone and the types of agency response to the overdoses.
“Timely access to the data contained on the dashboard will enable us to quickly respond to a sudden increase, or spike, in overdose events or bad batches, which we hope will save lives,” explained Warren County Sheriff Jim LaFarr (pictured). “The data not only provides actionable intelligence for public health efforts, it will also assist us to better understand how to combat the ever-changing opioid crisis.”
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State Senator to Run for Broome County Sheriff |
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Making Plans — New York State Senator Fred Akshar (above c) announces his run for Broome County Sheriff. He is flanked in the row behind him by Delaware County Sheriff Craig DuMond (l) and Tioga County Sheriff Gary W. Howard (r).
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State Senator Fred Akshar (R-52nd District) has announced he will run for Broome County Sheriff in 2022, after Broome County Sheriff Dave Harder made it known he will not run for a seventh term next year.
“My desire to serve has always been based around making the lives of the people of this community better,” said Akshar. ". . . this was an opportunity for me to better serve my community right here at home.”
Akshar was appointed Broome County Undersheriff in June 2015. That same year he won the Senate seat in a special election and has been reelected for three consecutive terms.
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Broome County Sheriff’s Captain Kathleen Newcomb (pictured), a 30-year veteran in the Sheriff’s Office, has also announced her plans to run for the position.
Chenango County Sheriff Ernest Cutting, Delaware County Sheriff Craig DuMond and Tioga County Sheriff Gary Howard have each released statements in support of Akshar.
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Candidates Vie for Schuyler County Sheriff Post |
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Earlier this year, Schuyler County Sheriff William Yessman announced that after 36 years with the Sheriff’s Office he would not seek another term when his current term ends this December. Sheriff Yessman served four years as Undersheriff and four terms leading the agency.
Yessman’s Undersheriff, Breck Spaulding (above left), followed Sheriff Yessman’s decision with an announcement that he would be seeking to replace his boss. “I really thoroughly enjoy my job,” said Spaulding. “I want to continue on. We’ve done a lot of great things, and I’d like to see them through.”
Undersheriff Spaulding will face a primary challenge on the Republican ballot from Sheriff’s Office Investigator Kevin Rumsey (above right).
“My heart is in this community,” Rumsey said. “I’ve been working my whole life toward this goal.”
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Chenango County Sheriff's Office Presents LEAP Training |
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The Chenango County Sheriff’s Office recently hosted the NYLEAP course, “Assisting Individuals in Crisis,” developing a peer support team intended to help law-enforcement officers and other first responders deal with the daily stress, and individual or group crisis that they may experience during their careers. Eleven law-enforcement agencies participated in the two-day training event.
“Going from call to call – trying to help people who have been victimized and often times traumatized – can really weigh on our first responders and their own mental health, as those experiences are added to the responders own life experiences,” said Chenango County Sheriff Ernest Cutting (pictured). “Over time, these accumulated stressors can eventually cause one to feel the need to self-medicate, and can adversely affect one’s personal and working relationships.”
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Ulster County Sheriff's Office Cited for Rethinking Training |
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As law-enforcement groups undergo mandated and voluntary changes in the way they operate and train their staffs, the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office has garnered national attention for the way it has reimagined its training of Deputies through its Officer - Citizen Interactive Training program, developed by Sheriff Juan Figueroa.
“We all have to change the way we act and talk,” said Sheriff Figueroa (pictured). “What’s wrong to look in the mirror and say, ‘Where’s room for improvement?’”
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Accreditations and Awards |
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Allegany County Sheriff's Office Honored |
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Reaping the Results of Reaccreditation — (l to r) Allegany County Sheriff’s Lt. Kevin Morsman, Sgt. Craig Plaisted, Jail Administer Chris Ivers, Undersheriff Kevin Monroe, Sheriff Ricky Whitney, NYSSA Executive Director Peter Kehoe, and Allegany County Legislative Chairman Curtis Crandall.
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The Allegany County Sheriff’s Office was honored for having earned reaccreditation of the County Correctional Facility, during a meeting of the Allegany Board of Legislators Monday afternoon, June 14. Sheriff Ricky Whitney was presented with a plaque marking that achievement by Peter Kehoe, Executive Director of the New York State Sheriffs' Association.
The facility was first accredited in 2010, and earned re-accreditation in 2015 and again this year. Executive Director Kehoe praised Sheriff Whitney, Jail Administrator Chris Ivers and all the jail staff for their hard work in maintaining the facility’s long-standing accredited status. Sheriff Whitney gave credit and thanks to all his staff for their outstanding work for the Sheriff's Office. Recognized especially for their efforts in guiding the accreditation process were Jail Administrator Ivers, Assistant Jail Administrator Lt. Kevin Morsman, Sgt. Craig Plaisted and Sgt. Kimberlie Reynolds.
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Life Saving Award Presented to Broome County Deputy |
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For Putting his Life on the Line – Broome County Sheriff’s Deputy Edward Hlebica (far left) receives the NYS Sheriff’s Institute Life Saving Award from Chenango County Sheriff Ernest Cutting, representing the Institute's Awards Selection Committee.
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The Sheriff’s Life Saving Award is given to a deputy sheriff who has performed an exceptional act of valor and heroism, to save the life of another person.
On December 17, 2020, Deputy Edward Hlebica responded to a report of a fire at a group home for developmentally disabled. When Deputy Hlebica arrived on the scene he was told by a staff member there was still one person inside the residence.
Deputy Hlebica entered the smoke-filled residence, crawling on his hands and knees. He located a 68-year-old developmentally disabled resident in the dining room area. The man was confused and did not want to leave. Deputy Hlebica physically pulled the man from the burning structure. Both Deputy Hlebica and the man were treated for smoke inhalation at a local hospital.
Without the heroic effort of Deputy Hlebica, a life would have been lost. The efforts of Deputy Hlebica are more representative of the true state of policing in the United States, than the image portrayed in much of the media. Congratulations to Deputy Hlebica!
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Professional Development Training Calendar |
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Policing and Safeguarding Students with Disabilities | June 30
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Tips and information will be provided for an array of disabilities including deaf or hard of hearing; blind or visually impaired; physical, intellectual and learning disabilities and diagnosis of autism, ADHD, Tourette Syndrome and Epilepsy.
The program will also touch on intellectual disabilities vs. mental illness, along with response and de-escalation techniques, focusing on ‘person-first’ approaches.
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Live, from Rochester, it's . . .
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. . . Monroe County Sheriff Todd Baxter! (second from right) who was joined recently by (l – r) Livingston County Sheriff Thomas Dougherty, Ontario County Sheriff Kevin Henderson and (far right) Wayne County Sheriff Barry Virts. Sheriff Baxter regularly hosts podcasts that update area residents on the work of the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. At this podcast, the Sheriffs all spoke about what it’s like to be a Sheriff, how they got to their positions, the responsibility that comes with it and how honored they are to serve their communities. |
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Clinton County Sheriff’s Deputy Bunnies, Officer Hops and Deputy Wasabi, were on patrol for BUNY detail — Buckle Up New York and the Click it or Ticket campaign — a high-visibility enforcement effort that ran May 17 to June 6. The Clinton County Sheriff’s Office spread the message to buckle up, with the threat that drivers may end up seeing one of these fluffy friends! The Click It or Ticket campaign is a national effort made possible by NHTSA and the NYS GTSC. |
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