Volume 402                                                                                                                       March 8, 2017
File 25
News of the NYS Sheriffs' Association
National Crime Victims Rights Week Materials Available Now
The National Crime Victims Rights Week will take place from April 2-8, 2017. The US Office for the Victims of Crimes has published a much expanded resource guide of materials to use during the week.


Below are some useful links to individual items in the guide. Click each to access:

Sample proclamation.
Sample social media posts.
Sample press release & letter to the editor.
2017 Theme Video

Sheriffs' Association Co-Hosts Slow Moving Vehicle Symposium
Yates County Sheriff Ron Spike was among the presenters at the 2017 Slow Moving Vehicle Symposium held in February in Syracuse, NY.  Onondaga County Sheriff Eugene Conway welcomed over 100 attendees from 26 counties, to the event, which was hosted by the Sheriffs’ Association in partnership with the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee. 

The symposium provided strategies for attendees to raise awareness of slow-moving vehicle laws such as proper use of the slow-moving vehicle emblem; roadway safety pertaining to agricultural equipment; and proper behavior when encountering agricultural equipment on roadways.

Allegany County Sheriff Rick Whitney, Franklin County Sheriff Kevin Mulverhill,  Madison County Sheriff Allen Riley, and  Oneida County Sheriff Robert Maciol were among those in attendance.

Attendees also included representatives from the GTSC, local police departments, sheriffs' offices, county traffic safety board members, state police, farm bureau, and the Amish community. 

Special thanks and recognition to Anthony D'Agostino, NYSSA liaison to the GTSC for a great job coordinating this symposium with quality speakers and GTSC Director Clyde DeWeese for his support of the program. 

Warren County Sheriff Bud York Earns
Civil Re-Accreditation
Warren County Sheriff Bud York was honored before the County Board of Supervisors at the February meeting as his Office was awarded re-accreditation of the Sheriffs' Civil Division. Only 24 of the State's 62 counties hold this accreditation. Sheriff York also maintains Law Enforcement, Corrections, and PSAP accreditation. Executive Director Peter Kehoe praised the Sheriff and his diligent staff for their professional accomplishments and presented Sheriff York with an accreditation plaque. He also recognized Sergeant William Girard who devoted extra time and effort to managing the many details required throughout the rigorous re-accreditation process. Nice work! 
Photo (l to r): Warren County Sheriff Bud York, Sergeant William Girard, Association Executive Director Peter Kehoe.
Remembering Greene County Sheriff's Deputy
Kevin Haverly

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Deputy Kevin Haverly of the Greene County Sheriff’s Office. Deputy Haverly was killed in an on-duty crash on Route 23 in Ashland on February 23 at 6:15 am.

Greene County Sheriff Gregory Seely said 26-year-old Kevin Haverly leaves behind a wife and three children. “He is absolutely one of the finest law enforcement officers Greene County has ever seen and New York State has ever seen,” Seely said.

Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple said Haverly was an intern in his department four years ago and helped conduct undercover under-aged drinking operations, he said. “He was just a great kid. He always wanted to be a deputy sheriff,” Apple said. “He was just an awesome worker with a smile on his face every day.”

A GoFundMe page has been set up to assist his family: https://www.gofundme.com/haverly-funeral-expenses-and-kids

Photo: On Monday morning, more than 2,000 police officers, corrections officers, other emergency responders and friends lined the street in the little village of Greeneville as Deputy Haverly’s funeral procession made its way from the funeral home to the Church of St. John the Baptist.

Wayne County Sheriff Barry Virts & Putnam County Sheriff Don Smith visit Cochise County, AZ
Putnam County Sheriff Don Smith and Wayne County Sheriff Barry Virts spent 4 nights visiting Cochise County, AZ as a guest of NSA Immigration Committee Chair Sheriff Mark Dannels.

Their take-away from the visit was to stress the importance of treating border security and immigration as separate issues. "Immigration is about economic migrants, political asylees and refugees," Sheriff Virts said. "Border security is about criminal activity coming into this country from another, especially drugs."

A 5th generation rancher they visited gave historical perspective to today's immigration challenges. The rancher related that, in the late 1950s to the 1980s, someone would cross the border on his property about once a week. From 1995 to 2010, up to 300 people per day would come across his property. He said that the drug smuggling started in 2010. 


Top photo (l to r): Wayne County Sheriff Barry Virts, Putnam County Sheriff Don Smith.
Bottom Photo (l to r): Putnam County Sheriff Don Smith, Wayne County Sheriff Barry Virts
Putnam County Mourns Loss of Sheriffs'
Investigator Mark Gilmore
Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and colleagues of Putnam County Sheriff’s Investigator Mark Gilmore, who died suddenly last Wednesday while off duty.

Sr. Inv. Gilmore served the Sheriff’s Office over 28 years as a correction officer, deputy sheriff, sergeant and, most recently, as the Senior Investigator in charge of the Narcotics Enforcement Unit. He was a member of the Emergency Response Team as well as a Sheriff's motorcycle officer, and was the recipient of several Letters of Commendation and Unit Citations during his career. 

Putnam County Sheriff Don Smith said: “Mark was a consummate professional…As head of the Narcotics Unit, Mark worked hard every day at trying to keep dangerous drugs away from our most precious resources—our children and young adults.”

The photograph of Sr. Inv. Gilmore was taken at his graduation from the FBI National Academy in 2009.

Sheriffs in the News
Orleans County Sheriff Randy Bower in NSA's Sheriff & Deputy Magazine

An article by Orleans County Sheriff Randy Bower was published in Sheriff & Deputy Magazine (v 69, i1), a publication of the National Sheriffs' Association. In it Sheriff Bower discusses the strategies that led him through a successful campaign and to such great success as the current Sheriff or Orleans County. He also reviews the programs that he and his leadership team have focused on in his first term in office. "My wheelchair is only a perception, and those who get to know me are quick to forget that I am even in a wheelchair," he states. Click here for a pdf of the article. 
Police Officers Memorial Advisory Committee 

Sheriffs' Association Associate Counsel Alex Wilson attended recent the Police Officers Memorial Advisory Committee meeting in Albany on behalf of the Association. Also in attendance were representatives from DCJS, the Chiefs’ Association, and the Police Conference of New York. All applications for inclusion on the Police Officers' Memorial Wall at the Empire State Plaza were unanimously approved. It was also confirmed that the planned remodeling and expansion of the existing memorial wall will be completed in time for the 2017 ceremony, which will take place on May 9th.


Traffic Safety News
Event: Anti-Distracted Driving Enforcement
Date: April 6-10, 2017
Organization: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
 
Distracted driving is one of the fastest growing safety issues on the roads today. Distracted drivers aren't just a threat to themselves: they are a danger to everyone else on the road. The national distracted driving effort focuses on ways to change the behavior of drivers through legislation, enforcement, public awareness, and education.
 
For more information about this event, click  here.

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