SHERIFF - Ulster County Home Page

Office of the
SHERIFF
Ulster County
Paul J. VanBlarcum
Sheriff
Chairman David Donaldson
Ulster County Legislature
P.O. Box 1800
Kingston, NY 12402
Dear Chairman Donaldson:
I am pleased and proud to issue the Sheriff’s Office Annual
Report.
To say 2007 was a noteworthy and eventful year is of
course to put it mildly. In addition to the changes large and
small which accompany a new administration’s taking
Sheriff Paul J. VanBlarcum
office, 2007 was the year when this agency completed the
move into the new facility. Learning to accomplish our
mission within the myriad relationships that are bound up with the Sheriff’s Office – staff,
the community, county government, municipalities, the media, outside law enforcement
agencies and populations that are in our care – is a complex and rewarding challenge
that I and every member of this agency faces in some way every day. I am proud of
what has been accomplished in one short year, and of the professionalism shown by
the individuals of our organization. The following pages share those accomplishments
with you and the public. I welcome any thoughts and I look forward to our continuing to
serve.
Sincerely,
Paul J. VanBlarcum
Sheriff of Ulster County
Undersheriff Frank Faluotico Jr.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
2007 Highlights in Review Page 5
U.R.G.E.N.T. Page 6
Training Page 6
Criminal Division Page 9
Zone 1 Accord Page 10
Zone 2 Wallkill Page 111
Zone 3 Esopus Page 12
Zone 4 Shandaken Page 13
Detective Unit Page 14
Detective Unit/Warrants Page 15
Navigation Unit/In Water Search & Rescue Page 18
K-9 Unit Page 20
Security Services Unit Page 22
Community Oriented Policing Programs Page 23
Civil Division Page 24
Correction Division Page 26
Administration Page 27
Inmate Records Page 29
Facility Operations Page 32
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Support Services and Programs Page 37
Training and Awards Page 40
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2007 HIGHLIGHTS IN REVIEW
In March, Sheriff VanBlarcum launched URGENT, the Ulster Regional Gang
Enforcement Narcotics Team, a multi-agency task force created to fight drugs and
gangs. The many successes of URGENT are detailed on the following page.
A milestone, not only for the Sheriff’s Office but for all of Ulster County, took
place on February 17th, when inmates housed at the old jail on Golden Hill were
transported and transitioned successfully into the new Ulster County Law
Enforcement Center. In October, an agreement was reached with the NYS
Commission of Corrections allowing for the board in of inmates at the Jail. As a
result of this agreement Ulster County received $130,020 in revenue from these
counties.
Administration put more “feet on the street” by restructuring the Patrol Division
and adding civilian dispatchers to free up deputy sheriffs for road patrol.
To reduce response time and improve police protection in the farther reaches of the
County, Sheriff VanBlarcum deployed three more officers to the Shandaken
substation which had been down to only one deputy. When budget cuts threatened
to impact the Wallkill substation, grant money was secured to ensure no
interruption in operations there.
The vehicle fleet was upgraded with the purchase of 8 new vehicles, to avoid
expensive repairs and safety problems with existing cars.
Administration continued to seek grants to reduce costs borne to the County.
Grants were secured for the Stop DWI Program, STEP (Selective Traffic
Enforcement Program), for the purchase of 10 tasers for the Criminal Division and
for the internet based sex offender notification system Offender Watch, now live
on the Sheriff’s website.
In October, representatives from the New York State Law Enforcement
Accreditation Council conducted a detailed review of all operations and reaccredited
the Sheriff’s Office through 2012.
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URGENT
In March, Sheriff VanBlarcum
announced the new Ulster Regional Drug
Enforcement Narcotics Team. The
concept was to address drugs and gangs
regionally by bringing different agencies
under one roof to share information,
resources and manpower. Undersheriff
Frank Faluotico, Detective Lt. Ed
Brewster and Kingston PD Detective Lt.
Tim Matthews formed the unit
combining officers from the Sheriff’s
Office and police departments throughout the
County, Parole, Probation, DEA, ATF, and
staff from the Ulster County DA’s office.
Sheriff VanBlarcum announces URGENT.
URGENT went to work on a range of cases from LSD dealers serving students in New Paltz to
members of the Bloods selling crack in Ellenville. News of major drug sweeps soon began to hit
the front pages. In Kingston, the focused pressure on drug dealers helped restore calm on Henry
Street in midtown Kingston, which was the site of rampant drug dealing. And a trafficker’s truck
seized during a raid has now been repainted and is out on patrol as part of the Sheriff’s fleet.
URGENT is a cooperative effort, an experiment on how a regional police community made up of
many individual parts can interlock – and also use fast-changing technology – to fight a difficult
and dangerous societal problem.
URGENT 2007
Cases opened/assisted 246
Persons arrested 230
Gang members arrested 27 Bloods; 7 Crips; 1 Hell’s Angel
Charges 694
Felonies 469
Misdemeanors 189
Violations 43
Search warrants 35
Cars seized 5
Guns seized 21
Cash seized $55,274
Cocaine seized
1,455.2 grams
Heroin
664 decks
Marijuana
44.273 lbs
Ecstacy
946 pills
Crystal meth
48 grams
Mushrooms
204 grams
LSD
1000 hits
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TRAINING
Within the Criminal Division, the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office sponsored 11
DCJS courses, hosted 3 outside trainers, and ran 7 of its own training courses
throughout 2007. About 500 police officers attended training at the Ulster County
Sheriff’s Office. Training is supervised by Deputy James DiMele in the Criminal
division and Sergeant Ed Torres in
the Corrections Division.
Additionally, the Sheriff’s Office
ran 5 in-service cycle dates of
training, providing each Deputy
Sheriff with 40 hours of in-service
training. The training included
defensive tactics, fingerprinting
techniques, firearms certification,
active shooter training, use of force training, and legal updates.
The Field Training Unit is overseen by the Training Unit, and in 2007 9 recruit
Deputy Sheriff’s underwent the Field Training Program.
The Sheriff’s Office continues to provide in-service and specialized training to all
law enforcement agencies throughout Ulster County and in 2007, 6 Town and
Village Police Departments participated in the Sheriff’s Office in-service training
program.
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2007 Accreditation Review
Representatives from the New York State Law Enforcement Accreditation Council met with
members of the Sheriff’s Office to review operations according to state standards. The team
completed its assessment in well under the normal time period and gave the department high
praise. The progress of the review is shown, with a briefing at the close of the process.
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