Rich's Resume    Accomplishments / Goals   Endorsements   Letters   Photos 

Dear Otsego County Residents,

It is an honor and a privilege to serve as your Sheriff since the retirement of Sheriff Donald R. Mundy, Sr. in 2006.

I have dedicated my life and my career to this County and my fellow citizens. I was involved with the Boy Scouts, Milford Fire Department and Emergency Squad for over 35 years and served as the Milford Fire Chief for 10 years. My wife Laurie and I will be celebrating our 35^th year of marriage this October and still live in the Town of Milford.

With over 30 years of law enforcement experience, I have served in various capacities and levels within my career. I started my law enforcement career in the Military as a Military Police Officer. In 1988 I was hired by the City of Oneonta Police Department. In 1992, the late Sheriff Martin Ralph and then Undersheriff Donald Mundy hired me as an Otsego County Deputy Sheriff.  I was promoted by Sheriff Mundy to Investigator, and then promoted to Sergeant in 2000. In November of 2006 I was elected as your Sheriff, and took my oath of office January 1, 2007 from County Court Judge Brian Burns.

Since becoming Sheriff I have instituted many new programs and worked to improve existing programs.

I have worked diligently to correct outdated Standard Operating Procedures to enhance the overall efficiency of procedures across all Divisions. Improvements have been made to the civil process, office and county credentialing, corrections operations, patrol operations, retention and reliability of our vehicle fleet, transport unit, surveillance system, video recording capabilities of interviews, evidence storage and retention procedures. Jail records and retention operating procedures have transitioned to an electronic database for easier updating, accessibility, collection and overall sharing of information. We also have an online available information source and downloadable forms from our website to streamline processes, as well as upgrades to the pistol permit process for the County residents.

Advancements are made through training and education. We have several in-house certified instructors and equipment to do a large portion of our own training. We have implemented a yearly schedule that provides monthly training sessions in both the patrol and corrections divisions. I have increased the number of Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) certified Instructors and the number of DCJS certified Firearms Instructors. We now offer in-house DCJS certified training in Emergency Vehicle Operator Courses, Physical Training, Domestic Violence, Mental Health, and Defensive Tactics.

We have a trained Special Enforcement Bureau, which consists of specially trained Deputies in Search and Rescue, Special Weapons and Tactics, Hostage Negotiations and various other specialty fields. Our office has a Fire Arms Training Simulator that allows our deputies to train using virtual reality simulations. They receive training scenarios for the use of force, force on force and hundreds of scenarios giving our officers realistic training.  The Sheriff’s Office can now self-train with in-service capabilities at 90%. This helps to reduce costs for our office and can provide a wide variety of training to our officers.

The employees of the Sheriff’s office are encouraged to get involved, seek out and participate in training opportunities, be innovative, speak up, and make a difference in their work place and in their communities. We continue to educate and offer our Deputies and Officers the best available training so that they may provide the residents of Otsego County with the best possible services.

I understand the diverse law enforcement needs across our County and the importance of working together and bringing forth a unified front. We have close working relationships with local agencies, county agencies, and the State Police. Otsego County Sheriff’s Office now has a mutual aid agreement with Cooperstown Police Department, Oneonta Police Department and the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office. This allows for collaborative efforts and communications between local agencies that previously faced jurisdictional concerns. This agreement allows us to easily share resources, personnel, and equipment during law enforcement operations to ensure that we are providing our citizens with optimum assistance and response.

I have worked to established relationships with our local school districts and their leadership to provide training, and evaluation of their school safety plans and conducted lockdown drills. We are currently in the process of implementing a School Resource Officer program. These relationships open lines of communication between law enforcement and students and allow for interactions and learning.

I continue to search for outside funding to lessen the burden on our residents. I have secured funding for various community based programs, most notably; Operation Safe Child, Offender Watch, Call Reassurance, as well as others. I continue to actively search for opportunities to apply for grant funding. I have secured grant funding for equipment used in search and rescue efforts, an off road utility ATV, and snowmobiles.

I have had a very busy three terms, and I will continue to strive to make our Sheriff’s Office a pillar within our community and make Otsego County a safe place for our residents. I recently instituted a Facebook Page to keep the public apprised of the activities of the Sheriff’s Office and events taking place. This helps the public put a face to the employees of our office, and makes the Sheriff’s Office more accessible, and more open and visible within our community.

I am proud to announce my candidacy, and I am again asking for your support to continue to serve you as your Sheriff. I look forward to our continued working relationship with other law enforcement agencies, county agencies and local agencies to accomplish our mission of keeping the residents of Otsego County safe and secure.

Respectfully yours

Richard J. Devlin, Jr.