Undersheriff says wounded deputy wasn’t mistreated by management at Sheriff’s Office

Editor:

I just read with interest the letter to the Hub authored by Deputy James DeFilipps. Interest and Shock!

In sum and substance – Deputy DeFilipps references the horrible treatment he received from the “upper management” of the Sheriff’s Office following the events of March 21, 2015. Since I am part of the “upper management” he refers to, I felt the need to respond.

When Jim DeFilipps was shot, Chief Tom Drennan could NOT have been more supportive of Jim and his family in the hours and days following the incident. Jim was given all the time he needed to recover before returning to duty. He was never pressured to come back to work and EVERY “upper management” decision concerning his return to service was made with HIS input.

For him to now say otherwise by telling blatant lies is nothing more than a despicable and deplorable act in an effort to get his candidate, Randy Bower, elected Sheriff.

If Jim was treated so poorly, why was it NOT brought to the attention of myself or the Sheriff months ago? Why are we just now reading about it in the Orleans Hub? I’ll tell you why, because NOW it can be turned into a partisan political issue.

It’s shameful and not worthy of any reasonable individual’s consideration!

Steven D. Smith
Undersheriff of Orleans County