“I speak for every police officer and deputy sheriff in Steuben County when I condemn public abuse in any manner”
From Sheriff James Allard, February 1, 2023
It’s a beautiful day in Steuben County. A winter’s blue sky shines over our county today as we prepare for another arctic front to arrive and our farmers begin to watch for the signs that indicate it is time to tap the maple trees.
Last week I was teaching at a police supervisor course and part of the lesson concerned a discussion about the dangers of specialized police units without adequate supervision or oversight. I made the point that in order for evil to triumph, otherwise good supervisors would have to ignore warning signs of abuse and do nothing about it. We had an open and frank discussion regarding cases from NYPD and Chicago PD of police actions within specialized units that broke the law and how the broad brush of public opinion then branded those actions as systemic police corruption rather than individual acts of abuse. Fast forward to last Friday when we all observed a horrific example of abuse. I know I speak for every police officer and deputy sheriff in Steuben County when I condemn public abuse in any manner. I also know that every good police officer nationwide was sickened by what we all saw, and furthermore, wish that the police supervisors responsible had done their job and prevented that abuse. I grieve for the loss of life and for the damage caused to our nation.
Here in Steuben County, your public servants were busy again. Deputy Saltsman began the Basic Course for Police (academy training) at the Southern Tier Law Enforcement Academy. On the school safety front, our SWAT team collaborated with the Corning Police Department and the New York State Police to provide training to all SUNY CCC faculty and staff on CRASE (citizen response to active shooter event) and Stop the Bleed (first aid for catastrophic injuries). This training evolved into an active shooter drill with faculty acting as students in which deputies, Corning PD Officers and a Trooper responded to a staged threat and then escorted the “students” out to a debriefing. At the Prattsburgh Central School, deputies and investigators teamed up with instructors from EMSTAR to provide CRASE and Stop the Bleed to all faculty and staff on a conference day.
In training, the Sheriff’s Office hosted week three of the NYS SWAT Operator course in January, with the fourth and final week coming in February. Investigator Brown and Sergeant Shutt attended the Glock Armorer Course and were recertified as Glock Armorers. Deputy Henry successfully completed his field training. Sheriff Allard instructed at the NYS DCJS Police Supervisor Course held at the Southern Tier Law Enforcement Academy and attended the New York State Sheriff’s Association Conference in Albany. Attendees received training on NYS law enforcement issues from the Lieutenant Governor, Superintendent of the State Police and the Deputy Commissioner of the NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services, as well as in legislative updates from the NYS Assembly and Senate.
January brought more changes to the jail administration as Officer Valentine of the Corrections Division was promoted to the position of Sergeant in the wake of a former Sergeant leaving for private industry. Officer Ames was promoted to the position of Sergeant in the wake of Lieutenant Wetherby’s appointment. We look forward to their service in their new positions. A formal swearing in ceremony will occur in the near future to honor Sergeant Valentine and Sergeant Ames.
January was another busy and challenging month in the Sheriff’s Office. Our investigators and deputies were tasked with three death investigations, five assault investigations, four burglary investigations, one robbery investigation, one rape investigation, five fire investigations, seven welfare fraud investigations, six larceny investigations, two stolen vehicle investigations, eight drug investigations, one harassment investigation, four criminal mischief investigations, seven criminal contempt investigations, one animal cruelty investigation, five sex offense investigations and two menacing investigations. Our Patrol Division was tasked with multiple domestic incident investigations along with crash investigations and mental health detainments, including five intoxicated or impaired driving arrests.
All of our deputies and officers performed in an outstanding fashion and we received two 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 and for all Ukrainians suffering under Russian aggression.
Thank you for supporting the Steuben County Sheriff’s Office in these challenging times and stay safe!
Steuben County Sheriff Jim Allard
