Rensselaer County Sheriff Jack Mahar

It is certainly an immense honor to serve as President of the New York State Sheriffs’ Association for the year 2011.  The office of Sheriff has a remarkable history in New York that spans hundreds of years and is the oldest law enforcement position in the United States.  This is an organization like none other and I am very proud to serve its members.  

I must thank past President, Orange County Sheriff Carl DuBois.  Sheriff DuBois has been a good friend over the years, but more importantly he, like many other Sheriffs in NYSSA, has given countless selfless hours to the Association and the citizens of this State in ways that most will never know.

As we look ahead, we are aware that there will be much maneuvering for limited dollars within our State budget. This reality could place certain pressures on New York’s counties and on law enforcement in general as the State continues to ask us to do more with less, specifically without adequate financial assistance or relief from burdensome mandates.  The good news is, the New York State Sheriffs' Association is comprised of numerous Sheriffs who step up to the plate to make sure that New York's legislators are not only given accurate information regarding public safety issues, but are kept on track about what is truly important to our citizens back home.

With your support and active participation, I will be vigorously pursuing a number of critical legislative issues with an emphasis on mandate relief for the specific work that we do as Sheriffs.  Our Association is a revered voice within the Albany halls of government, and we will approach these issues methodically and collaboratively so that as an entity, we can promote the goals of all Sheriffs across the state.

New York’s Sheriffs are problem solvers.  We have always been willing to roll up our sleeves and work hard to fix the problems we face.  We are resourceful.  We are knowledgeable.  We are fiscally responsible.  Not only do we protect the lives and safety of our taxpayers, but we protect their hard earned dollars.  We in law enforcement already know how to do more with less, and we will continue to find even more ways to share resources and services and still be successful.  However, as we work on ways to better stretch the dollars we do have, we will also remind our state officials that public safety must be an utmost priority and performed at the highest level.  While our budgets are being used for traditional law enforcement – jails, crime prevention, investigations, child safety, rural and city patrols, highway and marine patrols, drug interdiction, etc. – our resources must also be readily available for emergencies and strategies to prevent the threat of terror.  We are continually aware of the terror climate in our world today and as Sheriffs, we must constantly prepare for something we hope never happens.  We maintain our commitment to state, local and federal agencies concerning counter terrorism and we must be able to target our training and resources toward this major concern as well.

In terms of training, we must always keep our staffs current.  We employ the best possible training and best practices so that our Sheriffs' offices deliver consistently professional services to the public in the most efficient manner possible.  In that respect, we maintain the highest standards.  Training is the best way to protect both the public and our officers as modern society continues to find new ways to commit crimes and misuse technology for unlawful purposes.

The New York State Sheriffs’ Association exists for all of its members.   Your individual talents and expertise make us the exceptional organization we are.  Your participation is what will strengthen us as a group and help us as a professional entity in promoting the goals of all Sheriffs across the state.  I would strongly encourage all our members to attend this year’s conferences.  Your contributions will be invaluable.  As always, I am available to you 24/7 and can be reached by cell phone at: (518) 788-0485, or at my office at: (518) 266-1901. Again, thank you for giving me the honor of serving as President this year.  I look forward to the challenges ahead. 

Jack Mahar

Rensselaer County Sheriff

President, New York State Sheriffs' Association