Genesee County Sheriff's Office (New York)


The Genesse County Sheriff's Office is the major local law enforcement agency in Genesee County, New York. It is one of the busiest law enforcement agencies in western New York State, responding to more "index crimes" than any other agency in the area, 641 in 2007 alone.

Responsibilities

It is responsible for services such as: Law Enforcement, Emergency Communications, Civil Processes, Corrections, Community Services/Victim Assistance and Animal Control in the Genesse County Area. The Sheriff's Office also has an Investigation and Road Patrol Division.
Like most other states, sheriffs and deputy sheriffs in the State of New York are regular law-enforcement officers, with full police powers and duties such as patrol work, prisoner transport, civil process, and court security.
In most counties in N.Y., the Undersheriff is the Warden of the county jail. In Genesee County, the sheriff has ultimate authority to operate the 80-bed county jail, built in 1985. In this county, rather than an undersheriff, it is managed by a "jail superintendent" with 27 other employees and managers.
The sheriff's office is also involved in pre-trial and post-release supervision.

Elections and organization

Sheriffs in New York State are elected for three or four-year terms, depending on the vote of the county government, specifically the county legislature. This office is unusual in NY state in that a superintendent, rather than a titular undersheriff, runs the jail.
The current sheriff is Gary T. Maha and the undersheriff is William A. Sheron, Jr.

History

In 1895, a constable working for this sheriff's office was slain in the line of duty, the only known fatal casualty. He was William Harvey Johnson, then 44 years old, was shot by a person he was serving with an arrest warrant; the suspect then committed suicide.
The current Genesee County Jail was built in 1985.
In June 2008, the office investigated a notorious arson-murder in Batavia.