About Us

The New York State Sheriffs’ Association is a not-for-profit corporation formed for the purpose of assisting sheriffs in the efficient and effective delivery of services to the public. It comprises all 58 elected and appointed sheriffs of the State of New York.

Since 1934, the Sheriffs’ Association has helped New York’s Sheriffs to serve and protect the citizenry through member-supported training programs, accreditation, legislative advocacy, and public safety programs.

Our Mission

There is no responsibility on the State to provide training or professional development for the sheriffs in the very complex operations of their office because the sheriff is a county officer. Sheriffs’ offices’ operations typically include criminal law enforcement, traffic safety, emergency rescue operations, homeland security programs, emergency response teams, civil emergency and disaster response programs, jail operations, correctional alternative management, courtroom security, emergency communications, recreational law enforcement, and civil litigation process.

The Sheriffs’ Association has assumed the considerable role of designing and implementing training programs for sheriffs and their undersheriffs, law enforcement supervisors, jail managers, civil deputy sheriffs, and correctional officers.

It is our purpose and goal to:

provide education and training for sheriffs and their staff;
improve the efficiency and capability of sheriffs to provide better services in law enforcement, corrections, civil law enforcement, court security and the many other areas of a sheriff’s responsibility;
collect, analyze and disseminate important decisions of local, State and Federal courts that may affect the operations of a sheriff’s office;
appear as amicus curiae in court cases affecting sheriffs and their constituents;
establish standards of excellence and accredit sheriff’s offices that meet those standards;
assist sheriffs and counties in their interactions with state and federal agencies;
seek grants and non-tax funding sources to assure the delivery of needed programs while alleviating the burden on local taxpayers;
advise members of the New York State Legislature and the Governor’s Office and other agencies of the Executive Branch concerning the feasibility and implications of proposed legislation or administrative rules or regulations affecting sheriffs and their constituents;
cooperate with other police agencies and public officers to improve the prevention, detection, and prosecution of crimes and the punishment of criminals;
and educate member sheriffs, their staff and members of the general public in all the areas of sheriffs’ duties, all so the public might be well served by the sheriffs of New York State.