Programs for Sheriffs

No person with a conviction for a felony shall be eligible as a qualified candidate to be elected to the Office of Sheriff or undertake the oath of Undersheriff. Criminal history convictions shall be verified by the County Board of Elections through fingerprint submissions to both the Federal Bureau of Investigation and to the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services.

Prior to taking the oath of office the Sheriff-elect and the Undersheriff designee must have previously attended a Basic New Sheriff Training Course to be sponsored by the New York State Sheriffs’ Association or any successor organization. Such training shall be offered following the election of the Sheriff. However, in the event of an appointment to the office of Sheriff by the Governor or a County Judge, such training shall be offered and completed as soon as practicable after the appointment.

To assist the sheriffs in maintaining the highest standards of professionalism, the Sheriffs’ Association offers accreditation programs for the corrections, court security, civil, and 911 communications (PSAP) divisions of the sheriff’s offices. The accreditation process improves operations, increases morale, reduces incidences of liability, reduces insurance costs and presents a professional image to the community.

Corrections Division Accreditation

The Corrections Accreditation Manual details 166 standards that a county must meet or exceed in order to earn accreditation. Standards cover all aspects of corrections division operations, including: personnel, uniform standards of procedure, division organization, recognition of employee performance, mission statement, fiscal management, maintenance of county-owned and non-county-owned property, records management, use of force, internal affairs, public relations, jail functions, and health standards. Please click here to access the Sheriffs’ Association Corrections Division Accreditation Manual.

Court Security Accreditation

The Court Security Accreditation Manual details 39 standards that a county must meet or exceed in order to earn accreditation. Standards cover all aspects of court security division operations, including: personnel selection and training; prisoner transport, custody & holding; high-risk trial plans; firearms assignment; chain of command; courtroom prisoner security; courtroom assignments; special assignments; portable radio communications; weapons screening; emergency medical response; equipment; court facility physical security standards; emergency response plan; court facility physical security standards; and court facility entry weapons screening standards. Please click here to access the Sheriffs’ Association Court Security Division Accreditation Manual.

Civil Division

The Civil Division Accreditation Manual details 121 standards that a county must meet or exceed in order to earn accreditation. Standards cover all aspects of civil division operations, including: personnel recruitment, selection, training, discipline, performance & evaluation; uniform standards of procedure; division organization; employee performance recognition; mission statement; fiscal management; records management; use of force; internal affairs; public relations; and office operations standards. Please click here to access the Sheriffs’ Association Civil Division Accreditation Manual.

911 Communications (PSAP)

The Sheriffs’ Association has partnered with CDW-G and Cisco to provide this statewide program designed to improve communications and save administrative costs for New York’s public safety and justice agencies through the use of video conferencing technology. All public safety and justice municipalities can take advantage of these video collaboration services through one-touch dial tone video calls reaching one-to-one, one-to-many or many-to-many. Click here for more information about our video conferencing product offerings or here for information about how to purchase the products.

JusticeXchange is a web-based data-sharing program that allows sheriffs and other select law enforcement agencies in New York State to share correction history throughout the state and with other participating states. Its data is populated from county jail management systems into a central repository. It is a useful tool to both corrections and law enforcement. The Sheriffs’ Association administers the site statewide for all New York users.

JusticeXchange, an information-sharing solution for criminal justice agencies nationwide, provides instant access to information about current and former offenders held in jails throughout the country. All of this information is available to authorized criminal justice agencies through a secure Web Portal.

What Does JusticeXchange Provide?

JusticeXchange provides users with the ability to do the following:

• Search for historical and currently incarcerated offender information in participating facilities from over 30 states (currently 85% of all jail beds nationwide).
• Create a ‘watch’ to be notified by e-mail of an offender’s booking and/or release.
• Add behavioral information about currently incarcerated offenders to the database.
• Add persons of interest to the database.

Who Can Use JusticeXchange in New York?

Approved licensees authorized by the Sheriffs’ Association or the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services. Data is submitted to the system by all New York county jails including Westchester and NYCDOC. Other agencies within the state are allowed access for the purposes of searching data, posting watches, creating wanted posters, and a variety of other features.

How Does JusticeXchange Work?

JusticeXchange receives data from agencies that book and house offenders through automated interfaces to their existing jail management systems. This data is collected in near real time and is stored at a central location to allow other participating agencies to perform searches. In addition to data gathered through interfaces, agencies are allowed to add behavioral information for offenders housed in their facility and add persons of interest directly into the JusticeXchange database.

Accessing JusticeXchange Site

JusticeXchange can be accessed via the Internet by going to www.justicexchange.com For more information on how to access JusticeXchange in New York, please contact Chuck Gallo at cgallo@nysheriffs.org

JX Success Stories

JX Watch Feature Locates a Non-Compliant Sex Offender

Major David Jock, Chief Deputy of the Patrol Division of the Clinton County Sheriff’s Department, was looking for a level three sex offender who was wanted on a felony charge of failing to file an address change for over nine months. Jock set up this offender on a watch and received a hit showing he was booked into a jail four hours away in Onondaga County. He sent the warrant to the jail where the offender was being held and waited for him to clear his new charges before being sent back to Clinton County for prosecution.

New York Parole Absconder Caught in Georgia

Charles Sears, Parole Officer with the Absconder Search Unit of the New York State Division of Parole, had been looking for a male who was classified as a parole absconder for six months. He used the watch feature and received a notice that the male was arrested in Dekalb County in Georgia. He then looked up his booking photo and was able to verify the identity of the individual that he had been looking for. He immediately notified DeKalb County jail and advised them that the individual was wanted by New York State Parole, and he would be extraditing him back to New York.

CrashLogic™ is the nation’s largest collision report database. The system saves time and resources for law enforcement agencies by automatically managing external crash report requests through BuyCrash.com while generating additional revenue for your agency. Click here to visit the CrashLogic™website for more information.

The Sheriffs’ Association conducts and supports numerous projects designed to enhance traffic safety in New York State. Our liaison with the Governor’s Traffic Safety Council (GTSC) works closely with the GTSC staff; assists sheriffs’ offices in preparing proposals for funding; researches, develops and prepares proposals and budgets for funding; administers grant contracts; develops and provides specialized training programs; and reviews and evaluates all Selective Traffic Law Enforcement proposals submitted by New York State law enforcement agencies for GTSC funding consideration.

The Sheriffs’ Association conducts and supports numerous projects designed to improve traffic safety in New York State. Our law enforcement liaison with the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee (GTSC) regularly communicates with GTSC staff regarding highway safety matters such as current trends, programs and initiatives, and training. Our liaison reviews and monitors grants from sheriff’s offices and other grantees throughout New York State and represents the sheriffs on various committees and working groups such as:

• Driver Education and Research Innovation Center (DERIC). Creating a standardized statewide driver education program.
• Traffic Incident Management (TIM). Provides training to public and private agencies and a best-practices approach to responding to traffic crashes. The Sheriffs’ Association is on the Steering Committee.
• NYS Partnership Against Drowsy Driving.  The Sheriffs’ Association is a member of the partnership.
• Slow Moving Vehicle Initiative. The Sheriffs’ Association has secured funding to address this rural concern.

Our liaison gets the word out to sheriffs about highway safety events and gathers input on trends and training. He provides GTSC resources to sheriffs, such as posters, training materials, PowerPoints, and victim advocate speakers, to enhance their efforts as leaders in highway safety enforcement and awareness. The liaison is available to assist the sheriffs at their Traffic Safety Boards, legislature, or community events with data on traffic crashes, maps, and literature.

UPDATE provides a review of recent state and federal court decisions and administrative opinions affecting the areas for which sheriff’s offices are responsible, such as law enforcement, corrections, civil process, court security, labor/management, and civil rights. UPDATE is issued 4 – 6 times a year and is distributed to over 500 sheriffs, undersheriffs, staff members and others in county government. Many counties use UPDATE as part of their roll call or other training provided to deputy sheriffs and correction officers. To be added to the UPDATE mailing list, find out more about these cases, or suggest a local case decision for a future edition, please contact Thomas Mitchell at tmitchellnyssa@gmail.com.

NYSSA and our member Sheriffs are focusing on the health and wellness of our Sheriff’s Office personnel. Please visit our Health and Wellness Programs.