Sheriff releases statement on Task Force shutdown, saying it’s cost-effective and unrelated to next year’s election

‘Orleans County is not abandoning major felony investigations, and we are not backing away from the fight against drugs, illegal guns or violent crime.’

Orleans County Sheriff Chris Bourke

Orleans County Sheriff Chris Bourke has released a statement following the shutdown of the Major Felony Crime Task Force. The sheriff said major felony crime investigations will continue through the Sheriff’s Department.

Here is the sheriff’s statement, released this afternoon:

“The statement issued by District Attorney Susan Howard is both disappointing and completely irresponsible. Rather than having a thoughtful, professional conversation about how Orleans County can best deliver law enforcement services, she has chosen to launch a politically motivated personal attack and attempt to frighten the residents we are all sworn to protect.

“Let’s be clear about something: Orleans County is not abandoning major felony investigations, and we are not backing away from the fight against drugs, illegal guns or violent crime. The decision to eliminate the Major Felony Crime Task Force does not mean eliminating its mission. Those responsibilities are being transferred to the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office, where they belong.

“As Sheriff, I am responsible for the overall delivery of law enforcement services in this county. That means continually evaluating our operations, identifying duplication and working with county leadership to make responsible use of taxpayer dollars. That is exactly what we are doing.

“The County has identified nearly $400,000 in potential savings by restructuring this operation. In a county with a $106 million budget, mandated services from the state that take up the entire tax levy and a mission to not exceed the property tax cap, that is a significant amount of money. DA Howard conveniently ignores these budget realities. But rather than engage in the decision-making process, she has instead gone down the path of making baseless accusations that families will be less safe.

“What I find particularly troubling is the attempt to connect this administrative decision to next year’s Sheriff’s election. The DA’s suggestion that this decision was made because a potential political opponent announced his candidacy is an outrageous accusation without evidence. It is also a distraction from the actual issue and engaging in such political activity is well below the professional standards we should expect from the District Attorney.

“Indeed, if anyone is bringing politics into this decision, it is the District Attorney. Rather than addressing the merits of the restructuring, she has chosen to turn it into an election-year controversy and use the reputations of former investigators to advance a political narrative.

“The District Attorney has every right to disagree with a county administrative decision. Indeed, let’s look at the history of the task force, how it was originally funded, how it now falls fully on county taxpayers, how indictments have decreased significantly, how other counties perform these functions, how we can produce the same level of investigation at lower cost…let’s debate those points.

“What we should not be doing is suggesting that the Sheriff’s Office is somehow abandoning public safety or that the people of Orleans County are now in danger because an organizational structure is changing.  Such outrageous rhetoric may get you a few cheap clicks on Facebook, but it erodes public confidence in our collective efforts to keep the community safe.

“My commitment to the residents of Orleans County has not changed. We will continue investigating major felonies, pursuing drug dealers, removing dangerous drugs and illegal firearms from our communities, and working with the District Attorney’s Office to bring criminals to justice.

“I will not apologize for working with county leaders to make government more efficient, more accountable and more responsible with taxpayer money. Nor will I allow an important management decision to be distorted into a political attack on the Sheriff’s Office.

“Public safety is too important to be used as a political weapon. The people of Orleans County deserve facts, responsible leadership and results — not scare tactics and election-year theatrics from our District Attorney.”