Yates County Sheriff Ron Spike, Chairman of The Executive Board of Sheriffs' Institute, recently appointed Madison County Sheriff Allen Riley to serve as Chairman of The New York State Victim Advisory Board. Sheriff Riley's first official duty as Chairman was to preside over the Ninth Annual New York Statewide Conference on Victim Notification in Albany, NY on April 22, 2015. The Sheriffs' Victim Advisory Board was created in the year 2000 to provide guidelines and direction to the New York Sheriffs Victim Hotline Program (VINE). In 2014, 2 million crime victims used the hotline.

NYS Sheriffs' Institute Holds Annual K-9 Training Seminar in Yates County This Week

Niagara County Sheriff's K-9 Taz and Handler Deputy Craig Beitner attend training.

Yates County Sheriff Ron Spike welcomed 37 K-9 teams from Sheriff's Offices and Police Department around New York State to the annual K-9 Training Seminar. 13 Sheriff's Offices with 23 handlers and their dogs attended this week-long training. Instructors came from other Sheriff's Offices, North American Police Work Do Association Masters, and police departments in Connecticut, SUNY, and even Canada. NYS-DCJS office of public safety had an associate on site for to administer the State Certifications. The public was invited to a demonstration, coordinated by Yates County K-9 deputies Brandon Jensen and Chad Betts. Attended by a hundred local people and children, the demonstration was well received as various K-9 teams demonstrated obedience, tracking, narcotics and explosive detections and handler protection and apprehensions. 

MADD Luncheon Honors DWI Prevention Programs Across the State 

(l to r) Washington County Undersheriff John Winchell and his wife Kim Winchell, who volunteers at the Washington County Impact Panel.	From Genesee County (l to r): Sheriff Gary Maha, Deputy Joseph Corona, and Chief Deputy Gordon Dibble.
(l to r) NYSSA Traffic Safety Liaison Charlie Rutherford and Clinton County Stop DWI Coordinator, Sgt. Frank Mercier	(l to r) NYS Association of Chiefs of Police Executive Director Margaret Ryan and NYSSA Executive Director Peter Kehoe

Last week MADD New York and New York STOP-DWI hosted a recognition awards luncheon honoring law enforcement and all community members who work tirelessly to keep New York's roads safe from impaired drivers and also to those who work to prevent underage drinking. The years' award recipients include:

DEPUTY SHERIFF JOSEPH A. CORONA of the Genesee County Sheriff's Office. Deputy Corona has been a road patrol deputy with the Genesee County Sheriff's Office for a bit more than 2 years. He is very aggressive in DWI enforcement, making a total of 43 DWI related arrests in 2014 along with 30 unlawful possession of alcohol under 21 arrests. In May 2014, Deputy Corona was awarded an Exceptional Service Award by the Genesee / Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse for his efforts in combating DWI. Upon completing basic and field training in March of 2013, Deputy Corona immediately established himself as a dedicated, motivated and proactive Deputy Sheriff.

YATES COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE in Penn Yan, New York. The Yates County Sheriff's Office certified a Deputy Sheriff as a DRE in 2014 to spearhead improving drug recognition in the county. The Sheriff's Office also took park in a community coalition of public health providers, educators and schools regarding the heroin problem and DWAI - drug problem relating to heroin use. The Sheriff put together a 32-slide power point presentation and traveled to all 13 town and village boards in the county, all schools, and community fraternal and civic organizations like the Rotary, Lions and Kiwanis Clubs to educate the community on the facts relating to DWAI-drugs and drug use. Sheriff Spike's Office also developed a billboard to educate the public on the harms of DWAI - drugs relating to heroin use.

LARRY WAIMON of Queensbury, NY. Mr. Waimon, a former Police Officer in New Jersey, authored the book "When Tears Don't Work" telling his family story. His grandmother was killed by a DWI driver, his father was killed by a DWI driver and Mr. Waimon himself was struck by a drunk ambulance driver. Larry has volunteered as a speaker at the Warren/Washington County Victim Impact Panel since 1999 and has otherwise devoted his time and efforts to making an impact on the safety of his community.

Executive Director Peter Kehoe (left) who accepted the Yates County MADD Award on behalf of Yates County Sheriff Ron Spike (right), presents Sheriff Spike with the award this week at NYSSA Headquarters in Albany.