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Sheriff reports surge in hiring, major incidents and increased dispatch volume
Summary
Sheriff Scott Ciccarello briefed the committee on recent major incidents, an increase in hiring of corrections officers, training demands on field trainers, and a higher-than-expected number of arraignments and dispatch calls in August.
Sheriff Scott Ciccarello told the Public Safety Committee on Sept. 3 that his office has responded to several major incidents, accelerated hiring, and experienced a notable increase in arraignments and dispatch activity.
Ciccarello recounted two incidents in August: deputies assisted in apprehending a kidnapping suspect whose victims were recovered and returned to Oswego County, and a deputy responding to a welfare check in Alford found a deceased person; the deputy secured the scene and the matter became a homicide investigation. "I can't say enough about our deputies," Ciccarello said, praising their work in both incidents.
Ciccarello also described staffing progress: since Jan. 1 the sheriff's office has hired 30 corrections officers, producing a net gain of about 10 staff after training attrition. He said the office is training many new officers and that field training officers (FTOs) have logged nearly 900 hours of supervised training time. "If we stay on this current track, by the end of the year, we'll have all of our vacancies in the jail filled," he said.
The sheriff reported operational statistics: the county handled 4,333 dispatch calls in August with 78% law-enforcement related, 16% EMS, and 6% fire. He said cap arraignments numbered 209 and were about 50% higher than expected, which has taxed personnel. Ciccarello also highlighted a growing youth-summer-camp program administered through the New York State Sheriffs' Institute, noting that county participation rose from three campers in his first year to 18 this year at no cost to families.
Why it matters: the hiring progress and training burden affect operational capacity at the jail and dispatch center; the high volume of calls and increased arraignments have resource and scheduling implications for law enforcement and court processing.
Discussion vs. decision: the sheriff's briefing was informational; no committee motions or directives on these operational matters were recorded in the transcript.
