ORLEANS COUNTY, N.Y. — A public fight has erupted in Orleans County over the decision to eliminate the Major Felony Crime Task Force.
In a Facebook post, District Attorney Susan Howard said the move guts public safety. Howard said the task force was being defunded and Investigator Brett Sobieraski and two other investigators were fired after Sobieraski announced a campaign for sheriff.
In reaction to this, Ontario County Sheriff Chris Bourke gave a statement, saying Howard attempted to “frighten the residents.” Bourke called that accusation irresponsible and said major felony, drug and gun investigations are being transferred to the sheriff’s office, with nearly $400,000 in projected savings by restructuring the operation.
Full statements are listed below:
Statement from Howard
“Every Orleans County resident should be angry today.
“Chris Bourke and bureaucrats in the County Office Building are gutting public safety and making Orleans County more dangerous by eliminating the Major Felony Crime Task Force.
“Let me be crystal clear: Your family will be less safe because of this ludicrous decision. This Task Force has been the most effective crimefighting apparatus that has ever existed in Orleans County.
“Without the Major Felony Crime Task Force, there would be enough doses of fentanyl still on the street to kill the entire population of Orleans County.
“Without the Task Force, there would be a pound of illegal cocaine, hundreds of pounds of other illicit drugs and loaded illegal guns still on the street.
“Without the Task Force, there would be literally dozens of dangerous criminals roaming our neighborhoods instead of serving prison time.
“I could go on and on….
“So why on earth would anyone even consider eliminating the Major Felony Crime Task Force?
“Because Chris Bourke doesn’t want to face an opponent in next year’s election for Sheriff. It’s that simple, and it is the absolute worst of petty politics.
“On Tuesday, Brett Sobieraski announced his Republican campaign for Sheriff in next year’s election. The next day, a sudden announcement was made that the Task Force is being defunded and Brett as well as two other excellent and experienced law enforcement professionals were fired.
“As Orleans County District Attorney, I don’t endorse candidates for elective office. But I can weigh in with my professional assessment of people I’ve worked with.
“Brett Sobieraski is one of the most decorated law enforcement professionals to ever call Orleans County home. As an Investigator on the Task Force, he led and participated in countless cases that removed drugs, guns and dangerous criminals from our streets.
“Because of Brett’s work, I’ve been able to prosecute and put dangerous criminals where they belong – in State Prison. That’s just one of many reasons that Brett was named the Orleans Hub Citizen of the Year. Twice.
“Yet, today, this hero was escorted by security out of our office. Brett has spent his life putting criminals in jail, and today they treated him like he was a criminal.
“Losing our other investigators’ 20 years of supervisory experience and 40 years in law enforcement is a significant loss to Orleans County’s public safety, too.
“At a time when socialists are taking over Washington and Albany, now we have so-called “leaders” here in Orleans County literally defunding the police.
“They’ve made an argument that eliminating the Task Force will save $400,000 in the $106 million County Budget. Now, I’m as much of a conservative Republican as you will find anywhere. But it’s terrible policy to save a few bucks by cutting the most effective law enforcement tool that we have. This would be like cutting food out of your monthly household budget and then wondering why everyone is hungry.
“To put it in perspective, in just the last two years the Task Force has seized more than $3,000,000 worth of illegal drugs and $340,000 in drug dealing proceeds.
“Without the Task Force, the Sheriff’s Office will have no one experienced in drug investigations, period.
“Eliminating the Major Felony Crime Task Force will put many cases that my office prosecutes in jeopardy. It is the wrong decision for the people of Orleans County, and it’s being done for the worst possible reason.
“I wholeheartedly oppose this terrible decision.”
Statement from Bourke
“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.”
Public safety fight grows in Orleans County over who will handle major felony, drug and gun investigations WHEC.com.
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