September 15, 2026
It’s a beautiful day in Steuben County! The first week of school has come and gone, the first hint of fall color has arrived on the hills, and we have been blessed with incredible late summer weather! With the return of school, we all must remember to leave a little earlier in the morning and be watchful for school buses and walkers on their way back to their respective locations. Please remember to stop for all school buses that are displaying their red lights and stop signs. Also remember that buses must come to a complete stop at all railroad crossings and all school zone speed limits are now again in effect. Make sure we begin this school year safely, with patience on the roadways.
Last Friday we observed the twenty-fifth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on our country. In remembering our response to those terror attacks and proudly recognizing the heroic actions of those that responded, we need to remember also those that still carry the psychological scars and health-related issues resulting from that response. We also remember all of the young men and women who joined our armed forces in response to that attack and how their lives changed forever because of that day. For those of us in the first responder community, we know all too well the cost of accumulated stress and trauma, and the personal price paid for public safety. Please take the time to thank a First Responder for their service and say a prayer for those struggling as a result of their duty.
In August we dedicated the Law Enforcement Firearms Training Facility to retired Sergeant Les Brown of the Bath Police Department. Sergeant Brown, and then Chief of Police Dave Rouse, spent an incredible amount of time getting resources to create, build and maintain a state-of-the-art facility for regional firearms training which has benefited our area for the past twenty years. Thank you, Les!
It has been a busy summer here at the Sheriff’s Office. On the patrol side, we have hired four new Deputy Sheriffs, and on the corrections side, we have added several new Corrections Officers with a retirement thrown in! Two of our new Deputies, Deputy Staples and Deputy Turner, are currently in the SUNY Alfred Police Academy and will begin field training in about a month. Deputy Chapman and Deputy Weldy are awaiting the next academy and are in supervised training until then. On the Corrections side, we hired Corrections Officers Henshaw, Olds, Williams, and Crooker, along with part-time Officers posted in Court Security, Waltman, and Faucett. After 26 years of service, Officer Scott Rodbourn retired and we wish him well!
Officer Mary Lisi was recognized by the Seventh Judicial District of the NYS Unified Court System for her life saving actions in NYS Supreme Court. Lieutenant Chris Kennedy was recognized by Congressman Langworthy as a Community Hero for his service in both the fire service and as the supervisor of the Criminal Investigation Unit at the Sheriff’s Office.
In the Corrections Division, Lieutenant Wetherby and Sergeant Sciotti completed the Fire Inspections for Correctional Facilities training. Sergeant Sciotti and Officer Eighmey completed the ALERRT train the trainer course. A multi-agency search of the jail by regional CERT teams and NYS DOCCS was conducted. The Jail Garden has donated over 600 pounds of produce to the Corning Food Pantry this season with more to come. Eleven inmates graduated from Anger Management Class in the jail, hopefully reducing recidivism.
The Sheriff’s Office hosted the ALERRT Train the Trainer Course and the NYS Physical Fitness Instructor Course. Investigator Ellison completed the NYS Firearms Instructor Course. Sergeant Nybeck, Deputy Donahue and Corrections Officer Pruden completed the Physical Fitness Instructor Course. The Sheriff’s Office provided security and presented at the Steuben County Fair, with a car seat check, KidCare IDS, bicycle helmet giveaways and our continual presence. Lieutenant Sorge and Deputy Butler presented at two Boater Safety training sessions. Sheriff Allard was honored to be a presenter at the Congressman Langworthy Community Hero celebration and presented on both “Frankly Speaking” and WLEA “The Pulse”.
