Holiday work, FBI training, and a busy December
From Sheriff James Allard, January 2, 2023
It’s a beautiful day in Steuben County. What a difference one week can make! Our weather went from blizzard conditions with a -35 degree wind chill to sunny and high 50s in one week! I hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday season and could spend time with their families. For the employees of your Sheriff’s Office, every holiday season is a logistical challenge, as shift work conflicts with holiday gatherings, and family plans revolve around scheduled “off” times, hoping that no emergency call-ins change those plans. During this time of thankfulness and hope, we thank all first responders, road crews, utility providers and their families, for all that they do throughout the year to keep us safe and hope for a healthy and prosperous New Year.
December was a whirlwind month of service for your Sheriff’s Office. On December 3rd, Deputy Butler and Deputy Saltsman, along with Major Sutton, Undersheriff McNelis and Sheriff Allard conducted the Toys for Tots and Coats for Kids Fill a Patrol Car event at the Hornell and Erwin Walmart Plazas, receiving over 400 toys and 100 coats to be distributed to Steuben County children. On December 10th Deputy McCoy and several of our School Resource Officers joined with the Alfred, Canisteo, Hornell, North Hornell and SUNY Alfred Police Departments for a “Shop with a Cop” event in Hornell, serving over sixty families. On December 16th, Deputy Swarthout, Deputy Nadjadi and Deputy Harrison assisted in Wreaths Across America at the Bath VA to honor deceased heroes, who served our country in the military. On December 17th Sergeant Shutt and the rest of our School Resource Officers teamed up with the Corning Police Department for a “Shop with a Cop” event in Erwin serving over twenty families. Our thanks also go out to the Deputy’s Association of the County of Steuben and the Steuben Sheriff’s Foundation for their continued monetary support of both “Shop with a Cop” and “Coats for Kids”.
All during December, Diane Volz, Major Sutton’s Administrative Assistant, raised funds and received presents for a family at the domestic violence shelter and for families in need. School guidance counselors came to the Sheriff’s Office on December 20th and 21st and received coats, hats and mittens for students in need.
Undersheriff McNelis, Lieutenant Logsdon, Lieutenant Harrison and Corporal Hawk completed the third and final week of the FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Training at our Office in December. Agency leaders from across New York State attended this training and the feedback was incredibly positive.
December brought more changes to the jail administration as Sergeant Wetherby of the Corrections Division was promoted to the position of Lieutenant in the wake of Captain Mill’s appointment. Lieutenant Wetherby formerly held the positions of Correction Officer and Sergeant. We look forward to his service in his new position. A formal swearing in ceremony will occur in the near future to honor Lieutenant Wetherby.
Sheriff Allard and Undersheriff McNelis were honored to attend Deputy Brandon Owen’s formal graduation ceremony from the Arnot Health Paramedic program in December. Congratulations to Deputy Owen on this milestone of service!
December was another busy and challenging month in the Sheriff’s Office. Our investigators and deputies were tasked with nine death investigations, one assault investigation, five burglary investigations, one fire investigation, two welfare fraud investigations, eleven grand larceny investigations, ten larceny investigations, three stolen vehicle investigations, five drug investigations, four harassment investigations, two trespass investigations, five criminal mischief investigations, one criminal contempt investigation, two sex offense investigations and one intimidating a witness investigation. Our Patrol Division was tasked with multiple domestic incident investigations along with crash investigations and mental health detainments, including six intoxicated or impaired driving arrests. Our SWAT team was deployed for a warrant entry and our K9s assisted two other agencies for searches.
All of our deputies and officers performed in an outstanding fashion and we received three commendations from community members detailing the excellence of service they received.
We continue to pray for those who have lost family members due to the pandemic, the Buffalo Blizzard, and for all Ukrainians suffering under Russian aggression.
Happy New Year, thank you for supporting the Steuben County Sheriff’s Office in these challenging times and stay safe!
Steuben County Sheriff Jim Allard