Dennis John is the first Native American to hold the Office of Sheriff in New York State. He began his police career with Seneca Nation Law Enforcement. He served on the Salamanca Police Department and the Allegany State Park Police before joining the Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s Office in 1981. He steadily rose through the ranks, serving as Chief of Detectives before being named Undersheriff, and then acting-Sheriff. In 2005, he was appointed Sheriff by then-Governor George Pataki. Sheriff John has an extensive resume of participation in law enforcement training, which includes being a graduate of the FBI National Academy, Quantico, Virginia.
In addition, he is a member and past President of the New York State Police Juvenile Officers Association. Sheriff John also serves as a member and past President of the NYS Police Juvenile Officers Association. He serves on the NYS Association of Counties’ Public Safety Committee, the Cattaraugus County Fire Police Association, the Counter-Terrorism Zone 13 Committee, and he is co-chair of the Southern Tier Regional Drug Task Force.
Cattaraugus County has a population of 85,000 and consists of 1,336 square miles.

Click here to visit the Official Cattaraugus County Sheriff's website