Officer of the Year

In an awards ceremony Friday -- the first one at the Genesee County Sheriff's Office in a couple of years because of the pandemic -- Deputy Kenneth A. Quackenbush, III, was named Officer of the Year by Sheriff William Sheron.

The entire command staff provides advice and input in selecting each year's honorees, which also includes meritorious service and commendation awards. 

Quackenbush thanked his family and his co-workers for their support, and his mentor, a detective he didn't name, for pointing him in the right direction toward becoming a better police officer.

See also: Sheriff's Office awards recognize life-saving efforts during Winter Storm Elliott

Photos by Howard Owens

Press release:

Officer of the Year Award – Kenneth A. Quackenbush, III
Deputy Sheriff Kenneth A. Quackenbush, III has distinguished himself in the performance of service to the citizens of Genesee County during 2022. 

Deputy Quackenbush is a six-year member of the Sheriff’s Office, with almost four of those years on Road

Patrol.  Deputy Quackenbush consistently displays a professional, positive attitude and unwavering work ethic.  He is level-headed and has received accolades for his calm demeanor and de-escalation during tense situations.  Deputy Quackenbush has been a leader in traffic enforcement, which often leads to larger cases, including those for impaired driving.  He had several notable felony arrests in 2022, which included illegal weapon and drug possession cases.   Deputy Quackenbush has developed trust within the department as shown by him being a Field Training Officer, Drug Recognition Expert, a member of the Emergency Response Team and is looked upon for other special assignments. 

Deputy Sheriff Kenneth A. Quackenbush, III has reflected great credit upon himself and the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office, and most deserves to be named Officer of the Year. 

Distinguished Service Award – Principal Financial Clerk Margaret A. Sheelar

Principal Financial Clerk Margaret A. Sheelar has distinguished herself as a member of the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office for over 20 years. 

Principal Financial Clerk Margaret A. Sheelar began her career on August 1, 2000.  During her career, she was the recipient of two Meritorious Service awards for her dedication in the performance of her duties. 

Margaret’s professionalism, coupled with her knowledge of Sheriff’s Office operations, has been a source of pride for this Agency.  This year, as in previous years, Margaret continues to pay diligent attention to the financial needs of the Sheriff’s Office.  She frequently assists the administration with tasks that go well beyond her listed duties to ensure smooth operations and is always willing to take on additional responsibilities without hesitation.

Principal Financial Clerk Margaret A. Sheelar reflects great credit upon himself and the Genesee County

LONGEVITY AWARDS:

Correction Officer Lewis A. Henning

10 years

Program Coordinator Tracy L. Ranney

10 years

Correction Officer Michael A. Cox

15 years

Sr. Emergency Services Dispatcher Robert H. Tripp

20 years

Emergency Services Dispatcher Beth A. Hynes

20 years

Correction Officer Michael F. Lindsley

20 years

Sergeant Thomas A. Sanfratello

30 years

Jail Superintendent William A. Zipfel

40 years

Sheriff William A. Sheron, Jr.

45 years

MERITORIOUS AWARDS:

Sr. Correction Officer James M. Smart
Senior Correction Officer James M. Smart has distinguished himself by Meritorious Service as a member of the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office. 

Senior Correction Officer Smart has been instrumental in maintaining the inmate telephone system and tablets.  He has worked diligently to reorganize the inmate files and the file room, which is no small task.  Senior Correction Officer Smart has voluntarily taken on these additional responsibilities while continuing to do a stellar job with his normal duties.

Senior Correction Officer James M. Smart has brought great credit upon himself and the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office.

Sr. Emergency Services Dispatcher John W. Spencer, II
Senior Emergency Services Dispatcher John W. Spencer, II has distinguished himself by Meritorious Service as a member of the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office. 

Senior Dispatcher Spencer continues to demonstrate excellent leadership of his shift and provides guidance for dispatchers, especially newer dispatchers.  He performs additional duties, including schedule management, and emergency medical call reviews, and is a Certified Training Officer.  Additionally, Senior Dispatcher Spencer demonstrates his commitment to providing excellent service to the public and to first responders, along with a willingness to adapt to meet new challenges.

Senior Emergency Services Dispatcher John W. Spencer, II has brought great credit upon himself and the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office. 

Deputy Sheriff Nicholas R. Chamoun
Deputy Sheriff Nicholas R. Chamoun has distinguished himself by Meritorious Service as a member of the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office. 

Deputy Chamoun’s outstanding dedication to law enforcement is apparent year after year.  He is a Drug Recognition Expert and a member of the Emergency Response Team.  Deputy Chamoun is always eager to learn by way of formal training, researching, and learning on his own.  He takes the knowledge he gains and shares it with other members in the department.  Deputy Chamoun is aggressive in his vehicle traffic enforcement and puts his knowledge to use on his patrol in order to look “beyond the ticket” to identify criminal activity.  His efforts have resulted in felony arrests for illegal drugs and weapons on a consistent basis, thus making our community much safer. 

Deputy Sheriff Nicholas R. Chamoun has brought great credit upon himself and the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office.

Investigator R. Pete Welker
Investigator R. Pete Welker has distinguished himself by Meritorious Service as a member  of the

Genesee County Sheriff’s Office.

Investigator Welker began his career at the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office in 1994, and has

dedicated 22 years to the Genesee County Drug Task Force.  Investigator Welker has consistently brought forward the highest-quality narcotics investigations leading to successful criminal prosecutions.  Investigator Welker’s efforts and dedication to narcotics enforcement have significantly reduced the potential of violent crime in Genesee County.   

Investigator R. Pete Welker has brought great credit upon himself and the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office.

Community / Victim Services Counselor Rosanne M. DeMare
Community / Victim Services Counselor Rosanne M. DeMare has distinguished herself by Meritorious Service as a member of the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office.

Rosanne continuously puts victim interests first and foremost and spends countless hours comforting victims in distress and providing them with the emotional support needed to work through the complex criminal justice process.  She is compassionate and knowledgeable and is determined to ensure that victim rights and needs are met with the utmost respect and dignity. 

Community / Victim Services Counselor Rosanne M. DeMare has brought great credit upon herself and the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office.

COMMENDATIONS:

Correction Officer Matthew M. Luce
Correction Officer Matthew M. Luce is being recognized for a Commendation Award for his added responsibility of maintaining the inmate property room. 

Unclaimed inmate property is documented and inventoried, and once sufficient time has passed, paperwork is initiated to destroy the abandoned property.  Correction Officer Luce’s diligence keeps the property room free of clutter and makes for a more orderly property storage area.  He has voluntarily taken on this additional responsibility while continuing to do an excellent job with his normal duties.   

Correction Officer Matthew M. Luce is to be commended for his actions which have brought great credit upon himself and the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office.

Emergency Services Dispatcher Shelby M. Turner
Emergency Services Dispatcher Shelby M. Turner is being recognized for a Commendation Award for her actions during historic Blizzard Elliott that occurred December 23 – December 25, 2022.

The blizzard inflicted sub-zero wind chill temperatures and blinding lake-effect snow that left numerous highways and roads impassable.  This event generated over 3,200 total phone calls and 953 distinct calls for service.  This was the busiest day in the history of the Genesee County Emergency Services Dispatch Center.  Dispatcher Turner played a vital role in addressing the tremendous demands placed upon the 9-1-1 Center during this extraordinary event.     

Emergency Services Dispatcher Shelby M. Turner is to be commended for her actions which have

brought great credit upon herself and the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputy Sheriff Jeremiah W. Gechell
Deputy Sheriff Jeremiah W. Gechell is being recognized for a Commendation Award for his actions while on duty May 7, 2022.

At approximately 0300 hours, Deputy Gechell observed a vehicle driving in an erratic manner in the City of Batavia.  Deputy Gechell initiated a traffic stop and found the driver was acting in a suspicious manner and providing inconsistent information.  Deputy Gechell’s instincts prompted him to investigate further by individually interviewing all three occupants in the vehicle.  Deputy Gechell found there to be several discrepancies in each of their explanations which prompted him to call for assistance from the K-9 unit to search the vehicle.  A large quantity of narcotics was discovered, which included cocaine, fentanyl, and methamphetamine, resulting in felony arrests of the three occupants of the vehicle.  More importantly, high quantities of dangerous narcotics never made their way onto the streets.  Deputy Gechell’s instincts and investigation are to be credited and commended for this.

Deputy Sheriff Jeremiah W. Gechell is to be commended for his actions which have brought great credit upon himself and the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office.

Chief Deputy Joseph Graph participating in Friday's awards ceremony.

Dispatcher Robert Tripp was congratulated by Sheriff William Sheron.