People often wonder, “What exactly does the Sheriff’s Office do?” It’s not a question that can be answered in a quick chat due to the wide range of responsibilities we handle. To start, the Sheriff supervises two main divisions: Patrol, focused on law enforcement, and Corrections, responsible for the jail. Both divisions have distinct duties but share the common goal of ensuring public safety. The Sheriff’s Office is also among some of the most highly accredited agencies in the country.
The Patrol Division consists of uniformed Deputy Sheriffs and Investigators in plain clothes. Deputy Sheriffs have a variety of tasks, from ensuring the safety of government premises to delivering civil process documents like evictions and court papers. Additionally, the Civil Division processes civil thousands of documents per year and financial transactions collecting millions of dollars each year.
Deputies transport prisoners, patrol the county to issue traffic violations and make arrests, and operate specialized units like Commercial Vehicle Enforcement, K9 teams, Bike Patrol, and a Marine Unit. The Special Operations Group (SOG) handles high-risk operations and includes specialists in areas like drone operation, crisis negotiation, and combat medicine.
The Patrol Division also includes Criminal Investigators, Narcotics Investigators, and other specialized units focused on different types of crimes. Our White-Collar Task Force was created last year addressing many crimes that are time consuming for local law enforcement. The Narcotics Investigators most recently took down our largest criminal gun seizure in the history of Orange County. We collaborate with several local law enforcement agencies to create the successes we have had most recently.
On the other hand, the Corrections Division is staffed by certified Peace Officers who are responsible for the care, custody, and control of the inmate population. Specialized units within the division, such as the Emergency Response Team, are trained to handle and de-escalate incidents within the facility. An investigative team is dedicated to probe incidents that occur within the facility. Additionally, officers from the Corrections Division provide security for inmates at the County Court Complex and manage a transport unit that ensures safe travel to various courts and medical facilities throughout the county. Our Corrections Officers are frequently called upon to assist outside the jail walls with large scale incidents and arrests as well as serving in our communities helping improve quality of life concerns.
This overview only scratches the surface of the Sheriff’s Office’s responsibilities.
For more information on the services we provide, visit our website at https://orangecountygov.com or contact us directly at www.OCNYSheriff@orangecountygov.com.
