Oswego County Sheriff's Office

Currently, the agency has 158 full-time employees. The Law Enforcement Division includes Road Patrol, Civil, Court Security, Navigation, and Snowmobile Patrol, and Criminal Investigation. County-wide coverage includes patrolling 968
square miles, eastern Lake Ontario, and Oneida Lake. Equally, we operate a state of the art Direct Supervision Correctional Facility providing for a safe and proper environment to detain criminals.

Road Patrol:

This division consists of uniformed members of the department, providing law enforcement coverage throughout all 22 towns and villages of Oswego County. Members patrol the county enforcing state, county, and local laws. They are also the first responders to complaints and incidents handled by the Sheriff’s Office. Such incidents may include motorist assists, motor vehicle accidents, and other traffic-related incidents. Other incidents investigated include crimes committed against individuals or property, such as robberies or assaults.

Community-Oriented Policing:

The personnel assigned to this division provide services beyond those strictly related to criminal and vehicle and traffic law enforcement. Members are constantly performing community services functions as they patrol the 968 square miles of the county. Some of the functions that are provided include, but are not limited to:
-Speaker Assignments with various groups and organizations throughout the county on numerous police related topics.
-Law enforcement patrol and assist at many police events and festivals, including the fire departments’ field days, the county fair, and Harborfest.

Marine and Snowmobile Unit:

The members of this unit patrol the seasonal recreation areas of the county. They command inboard/outboard vessels on Lake Ontario and Oneida Lake, and smaller patrol boats on various lakes, rivers and reservoirs. They respond to incidents and complaints throughout the county.

During the winter months the deputies patrol the miles of improved snowmobile trails and assist at numerous organized events. Additionally, members with NYS certification conduct several boater safety and snowmobile safe courses annually at various locations around the county.

Security Unit:

This unit provides security services to Oswego County Family, Supreme, County, and City Courts and the Department of Social Services. This unit is comprised of part-time patrol officers and court attendants. The unit maintains security at all court locations in Oswego County including the City of Oswego, the Public Safety Center court facility, the Pulaski Court House and the Department of Social Services office in Mexico. The security unit confiscates illegal weapons and drugs at the court and DSS facilities.

Accident Investigation Technicians:

This unit provides expertise in the area of motor vehicle accident investigation. The members of this unit have received advanced training from the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services in the methods used to determine the cause of serious property damage and personal injury accidents.

Civil Division:

Members of the Sheriff’s Office Civil Division are responsible for numerous areas in relation to the service of Civil Process. In addition to the service of civil papers, members are responsible to perform income executions, serve judicial subpoenas, deliver summonses and complaints, Family Court summonses and criminal court summonses. Further, members of the Civil Division work in conjunction with the Oswego County Court Judge and County Clerk’s office to provide the background investigations for all applications for pistol permits and firearms dealer licenses submitted to the County Court.

Clerical:

The Clerical Unit handles all clerical functions of the Sheriff’s Office, which includes preparation of the New York State Uniform Crime Report, TSLED records, warrant documentation, accident reports, accounting, Domestic Violence, Orders of Protection Registry, and all other office functions.

Criminal Investigation Division:

Members of the Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division coordinate investigations of all serious felony and specialized crimes. In addition to the standard criminal cases, members of this division investigate the crimes of arson, sex abuse, juvenile matters, and drug trafficking. The efforts of this division also result in the recovery of property reported stolen to the Sheriff’s Office.

Evidence:

The evidence unit is responsible for securing all evidence retrieved by Sheriff’s Office members to be used in the prosecution of cases, or by order of a court. This process consists of cataloging, packaging and scheduling periodic inventory of every item in the evidence holding area to maintain the chain of evidence for court purposes. Another aspect of this unit is the processing of all evidence received to develop information of fingerprints, substance residues or photographic presentation. This process is conducted by investigators who have received evidence collection training from the FBI, DEA, and the New York State Police.

Fire Investigations:

The members of this division work closely with the Oswego County Fire Coordinator’s Office, all county fire departments and numerous insurance agencies to determine the cause and perpetrator of all fires that occur in Oswego County. Additionally, some members maintain expertise in the area of Hazardous Devices that may be found at the scene of a fire.

Polygraph:

Another tool that this division uses to assist in the investigation of crimes is the polygraph. This equipment has been utilized by all area law enforcement agencies in a variety of cases ranging from murder to larceny.

Sex Abuse:

The division investigators work on crimes involving sex abuse. Investigators work closely with the District Attorney’s Task Force. In addition to investigative work the investigators maintain a liaison with many area education, social service and civic groups to develop an understanding and assistance that is used to bring about reports and prosecution of these cases.

Correctional Facility:

The Oswego County Correctional Facility opened in 1995 using a method of jail management called direct supervision. Correction Officers are
able to keep inmates under continuous supervision, 24 hours a day in living areas called ‘pods.’ Based on their behavior, prisoners are assigned to pods ranging from minimum to maximum security. Males and females are separated by gender. Inmates in direct supervision jails have a better chance of leading productive lives after they finish their sentence.

The jail also features programs for inmates, including educational classes, a library, and better recreational areas. All of these features are required by state mandates or national standards, which govern the accreditation of jails.

Life in a direct supervision jail is also different for the correction officers. Instead of supervising inmates by “walking the rounds” past rows of barred cells, officers interact with inmates, often without a physical barrier between them. A correction officer works inside a pod with up to 48 inmates. The officer controls the locks, doors, lights, and cameras from an electronic panel. Officers in a master control room regulate movement in and out of the pods and have complete electronic command of the jail.

Special training is required for correction officers in direct supervision jails. The training involves several levels of instruction, including the philosophy behind direct supervision, policy and procedures, situations, and operation of the electronic control panels.