Sheriff's Office

Press release:

The Sheriff’s Office will participate in the statewide seat belt enforcement mobilization, which will run from May 20 through June 1, which is designed to further improve highway safety. The initiative will urge motorists to buckle their safety belts or face receiving a ticket. The message is simple: “Click It or Ticket." The Buckle Up New York “Click It or Ticket” enforcement and education initiative sends a clear message that seat belts and child safety seats save lives. New York State has been a leader in passenger safety restraint since enacting the very first seat belt law in the country in 1984 by utilizing efforts that combines public education with increased police enforcement of New York’s seat belt law.

Under New York State law, safety restraint use is required for: all front seat occupants regardless of age; all rear seat passengers under 16 years of age; children under age 4 who must be restrained in a federally approved child safety seat. New York’s zero-tolerance policy for seat belt violations means that violators will receive a ticket if stopped for not using a safety restraint. The fine for such violations is up to $100 if a motorist is stopped for having a person less than 16 years old unrestrained, plus 3 points on their license.

According to state law, motorists can be stopped in New York by a police officer for not wearing their seat belts; another violation is not necessary to initiate the stop. Properly secured children will be a priority for the Sheriff’s Office during this enforcement effort. If there is any question as to the proper installation of your child’s safety seat, call the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office at 585-343-5000 to set up an appointment to have your safety seat and its installation inspected by a certified technician. Please help us make the highways of Genesee County the safest they can be.

Tom Rivers is publishing a series of stories for OrleansHub.com about grand buildings in Western New York that were built with Medina sandstone.

Today: The beautiful building at 14 West Main Street that was once the Sheriff's Office and is now home to Genesee Justice and connected to the jail.

The county's 22-year-old emergency communication system is antiquated and flawed, according to Sheriff Gary Maha, which is why the county receiving more than $7 million in grants to help pay for a new system is a welcome turn of events.

The county has wanted to upgrade the system for a few years, but the project is expensive.

In all, between the grants and a $4.2 million county bond, more than $10.8 million will be spent on the new system.

"The low-band paging system is antiquated," Maha said. "I don't know if you ever listen to some of these monitors that the firemen are carrying, but you can hardly hear them at times, especially on the outskirts of the county. We've been working on it for years and finally we got a revenue source through the state and NextTel to put toward this project."

The state grant of more than $5 million is coming through the Department of Homeland Security and the FCC is requiring NexTel to help pay for rebanding of 800 MHz systems where their communication system conflicts with emergency communication systems.

Still, the county will need to borrow $4.2 million to pay for the entire system.

"We've been working with a system for the last 22 years where we have limited coverage," said Steve Sharpe, director of emergency communications. "What we're trying to do is capitalize on the reconfiguration and the grant, combining all these funding resources together to build out a system that meets our public safety needs for our responders in the field.

"That's the end goal because this isn't just about the 800 MHz; it's also about VHF high band paging. We're trying to build a more reliable paging network for our responders, especially our fire and EMS folks. At the end of the day it's about life safety."

On Wednesday, the Ways and Means Committee passed a series of resolutions that authorize the county to proceed with the upgrades, from accepting the grants, to issuing the bands and approving a contract with Harris Corporation, out of Rochester, to build the new system.

A key factor behind the availability of Homeland Security funds for the project is the push to build a nationwide 800 Mhz channel that all responders can share regardless of jurisdiction or agency in an emergency.

Use of the inter-operable channel in Western New York is being held up, at least in part, by Genesee County, because the county is using the 800 MHz band specified for the channel.

This project will move that portion of the county's emergency communication off that band to another band.

Part of the upgrade project is to build three new radio antenna towers in the county.

There are three now: Cedar Street (pictured), Pavilion and Pembroke. 

The Sheriff's Office is looking at potential new locations in Darien, Bergen and Alabama.

All of these changes of course, will effect the hundreds of county residents who regularly monitor scanner channels.

Residents with analog scanners will need to buy new scanners and have them programmed to the correct channels. 

Public use of scanners is a benefit to local law enforcement, Maha said, and the new system's ability to encrypt transmissions will be used only when necessary.

"We will have encryption available, but it's not our intent to be on encryption all the time," Maha said. "There may be times when we need to go on encryption, but people out there who have scanners will be able to continue listening to the day-to-day activities."

People with scanners, Maha said, help solve crimes.

"We're few and far between out there," Maha said. "We need all the eyes we can possibly have. If we have a bank robbery, we put that information out over the air so some citizen down the road may see the vehicle we want and can call 9-1-1. It's a benefit to us to have the people out there watching. They're our eyes and ears out there."

In the first quarter of 2013, felony investigations in Genesee County have increased 71 percent over the same period in 2012, according to Sheriff Gary Maha.

Maha delivered a report today to the Legislature's Public Service Committee.

The increase (52 cases up to 89) seems to be the result of more burglary and grand larceny reports.

There have also been more sex-related criminal reports.

For the office of investigations, there's also been a significant increase in pistol license background checks.

For the Local Drug Enforcement Task Force, the most prevalent drugs seen locally are cocaine and marijuana, but there has also been an ongoing increase in the possession and sale of prescription medications, particular hydrocodone and OxyContin.

For road patrol, deputies responded to 7,032 incidents during the quarter. That's a 10-percent hike over 2012.

However, 9-1-1 calls dropped 11 percent year-over-year to 6,033.

Non-9-1-1 calls are up 10 percent to 30,472.

At the same time, the jail population has dropped from an average of 76 inmates to 72, though the female population has increased from 12 to 15.

The Sheriff expects the Commission of Correction to recommend adding seven corrections officers (which includes two supervisor positions).

More female inmates, since they must be housed at facilities in neighboring counties, could add $150,000 in expenses.

Genesee Justice currently has a caseload of 594. There were 203 new case files opened in the first quarter, compared to 214 a year ago.

The Child Advocacy Center handled 65 new cases, compared to 57 a year ago.

For Sheriff's Office administration, the Sheriff continues to work on fundraising for a new K-9. The villages of Bergen and Oakfield renewed their patrol contracts.

Maha anticipates a need for more seasonal deptuties to handle the Darien Lake concert series.  Last year, there were 10 positions. He's requesting 15. Darien Lake reimburses the county for the cost of these positions.

Press Release:

Genesee County will receive $5,435,095 in grant funding from the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, Office of Interoperable Communications to upgrade the county’s 800 MHz Public Safety Radio System. Legislature Chair Mary Pat Hancock was notified of the grant award in a letter dated Feb. 4, 2013, from the New York State Division of Homeland Security.

The funding will be used to upgrade the County’s Public Safety Radio System from an analog system to an interoperable digital system. Sheriff Gary T. Maha stated, “The upgrade is necessary to accommodate public safety radio coverage needs, radio tower sites, radio infrastructure, first responder notifications and subscriber radios. There have been some deficiencies in our current radio system which must be corrected.”

The grant funding is part of the $102 million recently awarded to counties through the Statewide Interoperable Communications Grant Program.  Genesee County’s application for this grant funding was submitted by the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office.

The Genesee County Legislature Ways and Means Committee, during its meeting on Feb. 20, 2013, recommended establishing a capital project for the radio system upgrade.

Press release:

Sheriff Gary T. Maha announces that K-9 Pharoah will be retiring at the end of 2013. K-9 Pharoah is 11 years of age and has been working with Deputy Brian Thompson since November 2010. Deputy Thompson will be relinquishing his K-9 duties at the end of the year as well. Deputy Thompson has been the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office K-9 officer for the past 13 years.

The Genesee County Sheriff’s Office has been able to maintain a K-9 team for the past 13 years with support and donations from the public along with county funding. Public support and donations are vital to the continuation of this worthwhile program and are used to pay for food, veterinary services, training, equipment, and other K-9 related expenses.

The K-9 team is used for search and suspect apprehension, locating missing persons including missing children and Alzheimer patients, contraband and drug searches, tactical tracking, evidence recovery, building searches, patrol, and public presentations.

The Sheriff’s Office will be selecting a new K-9 officer and will be searching for a new K-9. The cost for a police dog ranges from between $5,000 - $8,000 and a 15-week K-9 training course costs approximately $5,000.

The Sheriff’s Office is initiating a public fundraiser for a sustainable K-9 fund for the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office. We need your support to continue with our K-9 program and are asking businesses, community organizations and individuals to make a tax-deductible donation to the “Genesee County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Fund”, 165 Park Road, Batavia, New York 14020.

Photo submitted by Sheriff's Office.

The Sheriff's Office will get five new patrol vehicles in 2013 and according to Deputy Chief Gordon Dibble the new vehicles will be bigger and safer than previous patrol vehicles.

For years, Ford's Crown Victoria has been the reigning queen of police patrol vehicles, but Ford has discontinued the Crown Vic. Last year the Sheriff's Office, like Batavia PD, acquired a souped-up Ford Taurus.

This year the Sheriff's Office is opting for an all-wheel-drive utility vehicle from Ford.

"We got the sedans last year and had some issues, so we think we might be better off with the utilities this year," Dibble said. "They sit up a little higher. They're easier for the guys to get in and out of. There's more space, more room in the back, obviously more cargo space. They do better on ice, and they'll have a longer life and higher trade-in value."

The $111,480 purchase price is accounted for in the county budget and the remainder of the $13,000 budgeted will be used to equip the vehicles for patrol work. The County Highway Department will mark the vehicles, which saves the county money.

The five utility vehicles are replacing five Crown Vics, one from 2008, two from 2009 and two from 2010.

On average, the vehicles have 130,000 miles on them, but miles driven doesn't account for all the wear on the engine from hours and hours of idling (police vehicles are rarely turned off).

The new patrol units are being purchased from the lowest bidder, Delacy Ford, 3061 Transit Road, Elma.

The old vehicles generated a total of $18,300 trade-in allowance.

Press release:

The Genesee County Sheriff’s Office recently hired Joseph A. Corona to fill the position of Deputy Sheriff; a position that was left vacant by a Deputy Sheriff who retired on May 5, 2012.

Deputy Corona is a 2004 high school regents graduate from Brockport High School and completed a BOCES Outdoor Power and Marine Technology program. He has participated in several volunteer programs with the Brockport and Rochester Police Departments and also participated in an internship with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. Deputy Corona was previously employed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and graduated in 2009 from the Detention and Removal Operations Basic Law Enforcement and the Detention and Removal Spanish Language Training Programs. 

He was designated as an Expert Marksman in the firearms course, received the Driver Training Award, and was recognized as an Outstanding Distinguished Graduate and an Outstanding Physical Fitness Graduate for his performances while in the Academy. Deputy Corona recently graduated from the Niagara University Law Enforcement Academy on December 21, 2012 and, again, received the academy’s Physical Fitness award. Joe is also a nationally certified Personal Trainer.

Sheriff Maha stated, “Deputy Corona has been participating in our 14-week field training program and is performing exceptionally well. He will be a great addition to our road patrol.”

Sgt. Thomas Sanfratello, a 20-year veteran of the Sheriff's Office, was named Officer of the Year today in a ceremony at the Park Road headquarters. Sanfratello, center above, with Undersheriff William Sheron and Sheriff Gary Maha, was honored for his work reorganizing and streamlining many of the operations associated with the records and civil office, road patrol and Darien Lake concert details.

Principal Financial Clerk Mary L. Hecht was honored with the Distinguished Service Award, the highest award in the department for non-sworn members. Hecht received the award for her many years of diligent attention to the financial needs of the jail bureau. According to the award statement, Hecht frequently assists jail staff and the administration with tasks that go well beyond her listed duties to ensure the smooth running of the facility.

Deputy Matthew Butler and Le Roy Police Officer Emily Clark were honored for their handling of a situation in the spring when an attempt by Butler to arrest a member of a family living on Maple Street led to other relatives allegedly intervening. Allegedly, a knife was held to the chest of Butler by one member of the family and Clark sustain a cut on her hand during the altercation. All suspects were subsequently taken into custody without any further injury to suspects or officers. Chief Deputy Gordon Dibble presents the award to Butler and Clark.

Below is a slide show of more pictures from the awards ceremony. To purchase prints of the pictures, click the "view gallery" link in the slide show. After the jump (click on the headline), is the press release from the Sheriff's Office followed by a copy of the text from each award presented today.

Press release:

Sheriff Gary T. Maha announces that effective Saturday, Nov. 24, Sergeant Gregory Walker, a 25-year veteran of the Sheriff’s Office, will be assigned as Criminal Investigation Sergeant and will oversee the Local Drug Enforcement Task Force.

Sergeant Walker started his career with the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office in October 1987 as a deputy sheriff. He was promoted to investigator in 1994 and gained experience in drug enforcement. In 1997, he was promoted to sergeant and was assigned as a road patrol supervisor. Sergeant Walker is a 2006 graduate of the F.B.I. National Academy. 

Sheriff Maha also announces the promotion of Deputy Ronald Meides to sergeant, effective Nov. 24. Sergeant Meides will be assigned as a road patrol supervisor.

Deputy Meides started his career with the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office in March 1991 as a correction officer. In 1993, he was appointed a deputy sheriff and assigned to road patrol. Deputy Meides was the Sheriff’s Office “Officer of the Year” in 2009 and was recognized by the Kiwanis Club of Batavia in 2011 for his law enforcement service. Deputy Meides has vast experience in road patrol operations and D.W.I. enforcement.

For 35 years Bob Zehler has enjoyed his work and his coworkers, but the time has come to hang up his badge, he said.

"I'm not quite ready, but now is the time to get out while I still like the place," Zahler said.

Today, in the basement of the jail, coworkers, colleagues and friends gathered for lunch and cake to celebrate Zahler's career.

Many years ago, the Sheriff's Office switched from hiring deputies to work in the jail to hiring corrections officers. Zahler, a supervisor, is the last deputy sheriff to work in the jail.

As for retirement, the Bethany native said he'll spend more time with his 87-year-old mother, complete remodeling his home -- a project he started 20 years ago -- and take care of some neglected work around the family farm.

With Zahler, left in the photo, is the current director of the jail, Ed Minardo.

There are children in our community who need winter jackets and the Justice for Children Advocacy Center, along with the Sheriff's Office and Olympia Sports are teaming up to request donations from people in the community for new or slightly used coats and jackets.

The group is seeking donations from Nov. 14 through 30 for coats and jackets for children of all sizes.

Donations can be dropped off during normal business hours at the Sheriff's Office, 165 Park Road, Batavia. Donors will receive a 10-percent-off coupon from Olympia Sports.

Photo: Stacey Bauer, left, district sales manager for Olympia Sports, Undersheriff Bill Sheron, Grace Flannery, CAC, Shannon Ford, Genesee Justice and Anne Bezon, CAC.

After more than 20 years with the Sheriff's Office, Sgt. Steve Mullen, head of the Local Drug Enforcement Task Force, retired Friday.

Sheriff Gary Maha announced the retirement today.

Mullen has taken a job as a private investigator.

For nearly two years, Mullen has been talking about retirement. As one of the department's lead investigators, Mullen worked cases day and night, weekdays and weekends.

"I'm looking forward to a more routine schedule," Mullen said. "I will have more time to spend with my wife and kids.

"I'm just excited to get into something different," Mullen added.

At the supervisor level within the Sheriff's Office, turn over is traditionally low and Mullen said he also wanted to step aside and give an opportunity for somebody to move up.

"There's a lot of good people in the department who deserve the opportunity," Mullen said.

Maha has not yet announced a replacement or how a promotion would be handled.

Typically, the head of the task force is somebody who is a supervisor within the Sheriff's Office. The task force is comprised of members of law enforcement from the Sheriff's Office, Batavia PD and Le Roy PD.

Mullen has been lead investigator on some of the county's biggest drug cases over the past few years, including a series of meth lab busts from 2009 until 2011, and the arrest of Carlos Torres as well as a number of small-time drug dealers. All of Mullen's arrests during that time have stood up in court.

Mullen also handled other major felony investigations and some fatal accident investigations.

One of the biggest cases under Mullen's supervision was the arrest of two city firefighters and a state employee for allegedly operating a sports book. That case is still pending and the defendants are scheduled to appear in Batavia City Court this afternoon.

Press release:

In an effort to better serve and protect the citizens of Genesee County, Sheriff Gary T. Maha in conjunction with more than 30 county sheriffs and the New York State Sheriffs’ Association are offering the Yellow Dot Program.

Yellow Dot is a free program available to individuals of all ages that was designed to help first responders provide lifesaving medical attention during the first “golden hour” after a crash or other emergency.

The program has launched in 30 counties across the state.

“When you can’t speak for yourself, Yellow Dot can speak for you,” said Peter Kehoe, executive director of the sheriffs’ association.

The Yellow Dot kit contains a medical information card and a Yellow Dot decal. Participants complete the card, attach a recent photo, place it in the glove compartment of their vehicle, and place the Yellow Dot decal on the rear driver’s side window.

First responders arriving at the scene of an emergency will be alerted by the Yellow Dot decal to look for the medical information card in the glove compartment.  

To obtain a Yellow Dot kit, contact Carolyn Della Penna at the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office at 345-3000, ext. 3510, or visit www.nysheriffs.org/yellowdot.

Yellow Dot materials will also be available at Genesee County fire departments.

The New York State Sheriffs’ Association, Inc., is a not-for-profit corporation, formed in 1934, for the purpose of assisting sheriffs in the efficient and effective delivery of sheriffs’ services to the public. It comprises all of the elected and appointed sheriffs of New York State.

Yellow Dot was started in Connecticut in 2002 by People’s United Bank. Originally developed for senior citizens, the program can be used by anyone of any age.

Some owners get angry when pulled out of a store because somebody complained about their dog being left in a hot car.

"Most do not even recognize it as abuse at all," said Animal Control Officer Aggie Jaroszewski. "They get mad because we interrupted their shopping day. They say we don't know what we're talking about. Their dog is OK."

When it's 85 degrees out, the temperature inside a car can reach 102 degrees in 10 minutes and within 30 minutes it can exceed 120 degrees.

A dog can suffer brain damage or die in short order when temperatures exceed 107 degrees.

Leaving a dog in the car on a hot or very cold day violates Article 26, Section 353d of the NYS Agriculture and Markets Law.

A person shall not confine a companion animal in a motor vehicle in extreme heat or cold without proper ventilation or other protection from such extreme temperatures where such confinement places the companion animal in imminent danger of death or serious physical injury due to exposure to such extreme heat or cold.

Fines range from $50 to $100 for a first offense, from $100 to $250 for a second.

Jaroszewski said citations are generally only issued where an order cannot be located and the dog must be removed from the car and taken to an animal hospital, or when the dog is in obvious distress and must be removed from the car.

Since Jaroszewski is not a deputy, she relies on sworn officers to open cars and issue citations as necessary.

The first order of business is the health and safety of the animal, Jaroszewski said. Whether she responds first or a deputy, the first responder tries to locate the owner of the car. Typically, the owner is paged in the store they have most likely entered.

If the owner is found and the dog is not in distress, they are given a stern lecture and the incident is documents in the law enforcement computer system. The temperature at the time of the incident is also recorded.

Jaroszewski is looking into getting a laser temperature gun (example). That would enable her to point the laser at a surface in the car and get a precise reading of the temperature inside.

Not only would it give her evidence to show a dog owner of just how hot it is in the car, but with a second witness, any citation would have a better chance of holding up in court.

Today, The Batavian drove out to two calls involving dogs left in a car at a time when the sun was beating down and the temperature was 92 degrees.

Our initial headline on the first case was "Dog sweltering in gray TrailBlazer in Walmart parking lot."

It turns out, and what the initial caller may not have realized, the owners left their SUV running with the air conditioner on. The dog was fine, but Deputy Tim Westcott still tracked down the owners inside Walmart because it's a violation of NYS law to leave an unattended vehicle running.

The owners are visiting from Florida and vowed not to leave their dog in their car again and not to leave the vehicle running while unattended. No citation was issued.

In the second case, Wescott located the owners shopping in Michael's. The soon-to-be-married couple left the back windows down on their sedan, and the front windows cracked. During the 10 minutes they told Wescott they were in Michael's, the dog did her job, protecting her master's property by barking at every passerby.

But barking dogs, Westcott noted, dissipate energy faster and that makes them more susceptible to the heat.

In a day and age when more people are aware of the dangers to animals left in cars and everyone has a mobile phone, emergency dispatchers get more calls for dogs left in cars, Wescott noted.

And he wasn't complaining.

The Sheriff's Office takes such calls seriously and if an owner can't be located, deputies will use their car-lock kit to open doors and remove animals.

When that happens, Wescott said he leaves his business card in the car with a note about where the dog was taken.

Typically in such situations a citation is issued.

The more frequent, quicker calls these days probably mean there is intervention by a deputy or animal control officer before a dog is overheated to the point of injury or death.

While dog owners often feel put out by a member of law enforcement paging them in a store, and often claim it was just a matter of minutes that the dog was left alone, typically when paged, as with the couple in Michael's today, they're still in the middle of shopping when located.

With the engaged couple today, Wescott waited for Jaroszewski to arrive, which took about five minutes.

When she did, she lectured the couple on the danger they put their pet in, gave them an informational card that explains the danger. While the couple got back into the car (it took a little time because one of them was in a wheelchair due to a leg injury), she took the dog over to a shaded area (top photo) and waited.

The dog was panting heavily, but otherwise seemed in good health.

And a dog who can go home in good health is the whole goal of deputies or animal control officers who respond to the calls from concerned citizens.

Eric Olson retires from the Sheriff's Office tomorrow. Rather than The Batavian writing an article as we might otherwise do, he asked that we publish this photo of him with his son and this letter to the community:

Out with the old and in with the new…

My career with the Genesee County Sheriff's Office began in August of 1975. I was hired as a dispatcher. Seven months later I was sworn in as a Deputy Sheriff and was assigned to the jail. In August of 1978 I was assigned to the road patrol. In August of 1984, twenty-seven years ago, I was appointed to my current position as the Warrant Officer.

The Warrant Officer position was originally created and funded through the New York State Department of Criminal Justice Service and named S.W.E.E.P. (Special Warrant Enhancement Enforcement Program) The goal of the program was to provide funds and resources to law enforcement agencies throughout New York State to aggressively pursue wanted individuals on outstanding warrants. Although the S.W.E.E.P. funding was terminated in March of 1988, the Sheriff's Office determined that the results merited local funding, and the program has been continued to this day.

Serving as the Warrant Officer for the Genesee County Sheriff's Office has been a most rewarding experience. In time, though, I began considering retirement. My son, however, had thoughts of entering law enforcement. I determined that I would not end my career until he was well into his. Ryan has been a New York State Trooper for 5 years now assigned to Painted Post (Corning). I hope that our shared conversations have been useful to him, that they have given him insights into the field that he would otherwise not have had access to. In this sense, then, my work has been for both my community as well as my son.

My retirement plans, such as they are, consist of only two goals: to remain healthy and spend more time with my family. My wife, Judy, my daughter and son-in-law Melissa and Jason Armbrewster and their son, my grandson, Evan, and my son Ryan and his new bride, Kelley, can expect to see a great deal more of me in the immediate future.

In 2011, the Sheriff's Office saw another big jump in calls for service with dispatchers handling 25,923 calls.

That's up from 21,334 in 2010.

Calls for service range from anything from a loose dog to serious motor-vehicle accidents and structure fires.

A total of 54,134 calls were placed through 9-1-1.

On the crime front, investigators dealt with 794 total cases, which resulted in 84 drug arrests (19 cases remain pending) and 30 vice arrests.

Of the investigations, 476 were felony in nature.

A total of 178 arrests were made for DWI. The majority were age 21 to 40, with one arrest under age 18 and 20 people arrested between 18 and 20. Three people 60 to 69 were arrested for DWI and one person over age 70 was arrested.

The hours between midnight and 3 a.m. had the biggest DWI arrest activity, with 81 arrests. Between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., 38 people were arrested.

Saturday topped the days of the week for arrests with 64.

Of the arrestees, 146 were male and 32 were female.

Felony DWI accounted for 21 of the arrests, and 32 people were accused of having a BAC of .18 or greater.

The highest BACs recorded were .31 or higher and two suspects were charged with that level of blood alcohol.

Of the suspects given BAC tests, 28 tested .07 or lower, and 15 of those had no measurable BAC.

In all 178 tests were given and 10 were refused.

The juvenile division handled 178 investigations, including 32 dealing with runaways or missing persons, and 47 investigations for larceny and 24 for criminal mischief. There were 12 burglary investigations, two assaults, and four disorderly conducts.

Court security found quite a few weapons on people trying to enter the court, including two firearms, 604 knives,104 pairs of scissors and 27 razors.

Animal control handled 2,902 incidents, including 58 bite investigations, 454 lost animals and 10 livestock investigations. A total of 77 cats and dogs were euthanized, but 280 dogs were adopted through the shelter and 448 cats found new homes.

Genesee Justice handled 313 offender cases, and offenders performed 7,317 hours of community service. The agency supervised 433 people released from jail. There were 190 people supervised in the DWI program.

There were six fatal accidents handled by the Sheriff's Office in 2011.

Of the 1,178 total accidents reported to the Sheriff's Office, 164 involved injuries and 487 involved animals.

Alcohol was reported involved in 52 of the accidents and 521 accident-related arrests were made.

Deputies wrote traffic tickets for 4,095 suspected violations.

The office took a total of 1,931 criminal activity reports.

A PDF of the complete annual report can be downloaded by clicking here.

Press release:

The Genesee County Sheriff’s Office would like to remind motorists of the importance of using seat belts and child safety seats. The Sheriff’s Office will participate in the statewide seat belt enforcement mobilization, which will run from May 21st through June 3rd which is designed to further improve highway safety.

This initiative will urge motorists to buckle their safety belts or face receiving a ticket. The message is simple: “Click It or Ticket.” The Buckle Up New York, “Click It or Ticket” enforcement and education initiative sends a clear message that seat belts and child safety seats save lives. New York State has been a leader in passenger safety restraint since enacting the very first seat belt law in the country in 1984 by utilizing efforts that combines public education with increased police enforcement of New York's seat belt law.

Under New York State law, safety restraint use is required for: all front seat occupants regardless of age; all rear seat passengers under 16 years of age; children under age 4 must be restrained in a federally approved child safety seat.

New York's zero-tolerance policy for seat belt violations means that violators will receive a ticket if stopped for not using a safety restraint. The fine for such violations is up to $100 if a motorist is stopped for having a person less than 16 years old unrestrained, plus 3 points on their license.

According to state law, motorists can be stopped in New York by a police officer for not wearing their seat belt; another violation is not necessary to initiate the stop.

Properly secured children will be a priority for the Sheriff’s Office during this enforcement effort.  If there is any question as to the proper installation of your child’s safety seat, call the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office at 585-343-5000 to set up an appointment to have your safety seat and its installation inspected by a certified technician.

Please help us make the highways of Genesee County the safest they can be.

Press release:

The Genesee County Sheriff’s Office recently filled two vacant correction officer positions with the hiring of Michael J. Robinson and Michael E. Glow. These two correction officers graduated in a class of 20 from the Erie County Basic Corrections Academy yesterday, April 26, 2012.

The speakers at the graduation were Erie County Undersheriff Mark Wipperman and Erie County Deputy Executive Richard Tobe. Training at the academy included instruction in the care and custody of inmates, inmate supervision, defensive tactics, firearms training, and other topics pertaining to corrections.

Correction Officer Michael J. Robinson is a 2000 high school regents graduate from Oakfield-Alabama Central School and a 2003 graduate from Genesee Community College with an Applied Associate Degree in Criminal Justice. C.O. Robinson was previously employed as a mental health therapy aide for the New York State Office of Mental Health and as a security guard for Batavia Downs. C.O. Robinson enjoys roller and ice hockey and is Booster Chairman of American Legion Post 626 in Alabama, New York. He is a current resident of Elba.

Correction Officer Michael E. Glow is a 1998 graduate from Batavia High School and a 2002 graduate from Hilbert College with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice. C.O. Glow was previously employed as a collector for Admin Recovery, Creditors Interchange, Evans Law & Everest Receivable as well as being a foster care attendant for Genesee County Social Services. C.O. Glow is affiliated with Hometown Hoops for Hope and is a basketball counselor at YMCA’s Camp Hough and at Hilbert College’s basketball camp. He is a current resident of Batavia.

Sheriff Maha stated, “Correction officers Robinson and Glow are great assets to the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office Jail Division. They are both very dedicated, hard-working, and responsible employees. We are pleased to have them as part of our team."