The Delaware County Sheriff’s Office may no longer require that deputy sheriffs reside within the county, pending approval of a proposed local law.
On Wednesday, Jan. 28, the county Board of Supervisors scheduled a public hearing on the law to take place 1 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 25.
If approved, the law would waive a residency requirement for both corrections officers and deputy sheriffs within the county Sheriff’s Office. It would repeal and replace a 2020 local law, which waived the residency requirement for corrections officers only.
Meredith Town Supervisor James Ellis, the board vice chairperson, put forth the resolution to schedule the public hearing. He said after the meeting that it can be hard to find people to fill those positions with only a pool of county residents.
“We have to take that restriction to that employment window away to allow somebody from outside of the county to do that job,” Ellis said.
The proposed law stated that applicants for deputy sheriff or corrections officer must reside “in Delaware County or any adjoining county within New York State,” which includes Otsego, Schoharie, Chenango, Ulster, Broome, Greene, and Sullivan.
“We want that individual to be somewhat within an hours time to get here, and sometimes that position can’t be filled by a resident of the county,” Ellis said.
Sheriff Craig DuMond said Thursday, Jan. 29 that police agencies are having “major problems” recruiting officers, and because the sheriff’s office also recruits corrections officers, recruitment is even more difficult. He said the passage of the local law would provide a “larger pool of applicants to choose from,” ultimately allowing the office to recruit higher quality applicants.
Another benefit, DuMond said, is that lateral transfers from contiguous counties could fill vacancies. These officers would be previously trained and certified by the state, so it could save taxpayers money in training costs, he added.
“I am looking at it as a positive thing,” DuMond said.