Delaware County sheriff highlights staffing, jail boarding revenue and public-safety programs in annual report

Sheriff (name not specified) told the Delaware County Board of Supervisors on April 9 that his office faces persistent staffing shortages while generating increased revenue by boarding state and federal inmates and expanding community programs.

In a presentation to the board, Sheriff (name not specified) said the department answered 15,496 calls for service in 2024 and that traffic accident reports rose 27.6% to 462. He said uniform traffic tickets were slightly down compared with the prior year but that overall traffic-related calls and impairment-related accidents are driving concern and agency attention.

"It's an honor and a privilege to be able to do this and to recognize the expert work that's done by the members of the Delaware County Sheriff's Office," the sheriff said, describing recruitment and retention as ongoing challenges and noting the office runs its own corrections academy to train local staff.

Why it matters: the sheriff framed board support as central to maintaining response capacity and training, while revenue from boarding inmates affects county jail operations and budgets.

The sheriff said corrections boarding revenue rose 126% from 2023 to 2024, driven largely by federal inmates from the U.S. Marshals Service and state-ready inmates the county continues to house. He said the county received about $100 per day from the state for state-ready inmates but that many costs — transportation and medical care for inmates — remain county responsibilities. He described a 38% increase in jail population year-over-year and a 92% increase in the female population.

On staffing, the sheriff reported ongoing vacancies in road patrol and corrections and highlighted recent promotions: Cody Tremblay to criminal investigator (assigned to child-crime work with the district attorney's office), Kyle Karchar to corporal, and Jeff Clark to sergeant. He said two corrections academies were run last year and another was planned for the summer to help fill open posts.

The presentation also covered community-facing programs: a school resource officer (SRO) placed in the Stamford Central School District, a K-9 program (K-9 Edge) used in school visits and community engagement, a sheriff's camp for at-risk youth coordinated with local social services and the New York State Sheriffs Association, property and school checks, and special community events. The sheriff called the SRO and K-9 programs "valuable" for relationship building and student support.

The sheriff attributed some increases in criminal-investigation workload to changes in pretrial practices (referred to in the meeting as "bail reform"), which he said make confidential informant work and longer investigations more difficult. He described a 10-month investigation that led to seizure of AR-style rifles, two unserialized "ghost guns," large quantities of fentanyl and other narcotics.

Board response: Supervisor Gladstone and other board members thanked the sheriff and pledged continued support. The sheriff invited board members to the annual employee awards next Monday at 11 a.m.

Ending: The sheriff closed by thanking the board for support and offering to answer questions; the board recessed to the next agenda item after the presentation.