Former Monroe County Sheriff Andy Meloni, Age 84, Passes Away

Andy Meloni, Sheriff of Monroe County from 1980 to 2001, passed away early Friday morning, May 1, 2015, after battling illness for several years.  He joined the Monroe County Sheriff's Office as a part-time clerk in 1955 and rose to serve as Undersheriff for the legendary Sheriff Al Skinner, before later going on to become a legendary Sheriff himself. Andy was a long-time active and energetic member of the NYSSA Executive Committee right up to the time of his retirement. He was also active with the National Sheriffs' Association and served as chairman of the Standards Committee which developed the first Sheriffs Code of Conduct for adoption by the NSA. After retirement Sheriff Meloni and his wife Laura continued to join us at most of our Summer Training Conferences, including as recently as our 2014 Summer Conference in Watkins Glen.  Andy always went out of his way to talk with any youngsters who attended our conferences and had a great rapport with them. Calling hours are Monday, May 4 and Tuesday, May 5 from 3 to 8 PM at the Richard H. Keenan Funeral Home, and a memorial service will be held at St. John Fisher College at 11 AM on Wednesday, May 6. Click here and here to view stories on Sheriff Meloni's passing. 

9th Annual Statewide Conference on Victim Notification a Success

The Sheriffs' Institute brought together over 100 victim advocates and law enforcement officials from more than 50 agencies for the 9th Annual New York Statewide Conference on Victim Notification in Albany, NY. The keynote speaker, Tamera Parker, is President of the Board of the Victim Resource Center of the Finger Lakes, Inc. and herself a victim of domestic violence. Ms. Parker presented the story of how she was violently assaulted by her husband in 2005 and the physical and emotional aftermath of that assault, which included her having 19 facial surgeries to date. "Tamera did a great job of reminding us all that things aren't always as they appear. While Tamera did not think her abuse followed the "normal" pattern, it was apparent to the advocates in the room that the dynamics utilized by the offender to exercise control continue to be misunderstood even now," said Janet Koupash, Director of the Office of Victim Assistance of the NYS Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.

Chautauqua County Awarded Jail Accreditation

(l to r) Chautauqua County Undersheriff Charles Holder and Captain James Crowell, Association Director Peter Kehoe, Chautauqua County Sheriff Joseph Gerace and Lieutenant Douglas Mulson

Sheriff Joe Gerace and the men and women of the Chautauqua County Sheriff's Corrections Division were honored last week at a presentation before the County Legislature in which the Jail Division was awarded Accreditation by the New York State Sheriffs' Association. Executive Director Peter Kehoe relayed to Sheriff Gerace and his staff the congratulations of all the New York Sheriffs for this achievement, pointing out that fewer than half of the state's 62 counties have achieved this accreditation.

Sheriff Gerace praised his staff for their tireless work on the project. "All of the members of the Corrections Division contributed to this effort in some way.  Program Manager Lt. Doug Mulson was the key to the success of this initiative and spent countless hours preparing for the assessment and Captain James Crowell demonstrated strong leadership in oversight of the project.  I am very proud of this accomplishment and those who were involved," he said.

The Chautauqua County Sheriff's Office had previously obtained accreditation from the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services for its Law Enforcement Division and accreditation for the 911 Center. Sheriff Gerace said that his Office will seek the remaining two accreditations available from the New York State Sheriff's Association--Civil Division and the Court Security Division--later this year.