Colleen O'Neill lays out plan to enhance community and school safety

Jefferson County Sheriff candidate Colleen O’Neill has put forth a plan to focus the efforts of the Sheriff’s Office to enhance the safety of communities and schools throughout the County. The plan calls for:

• a goal of having a common police presence in every school,
• initiating community-oriented policing activities in partnership with local law enforcement agencies for each of the towns and villages,
• holding regular town hall meetings at each of the school districts, towns and villages to allow the public to bring forth their own ideas for ensuring community safety
• using a reverse 911 system on different levels to keep the public informed of emergencies and community interests.

O’Neill said that she has heard from many citizens about community safety. “I have been listening to the community’s concerns since I announced my candidacy for Jefferson County Sheriff in January. Parents tell me they want to send their children to school with the confidence that they will return home safely,” she said.  “As a starting point, I will ensure that a Sheriff’s Deputy adds a stop into a school, as time allows, in the course of their regular patrol. But my ultimate goaI will be to spearhead a program where state, county and local law enforcement agencies share the responsibility of this school safety program. My experience in working with these agencies will be extremely beneficial to this program’s creation. Investing in educating our kids of the dangers of among other things - drugs, bullying and distracted driving is a start. The positive result of this investment may not be immediately evident but with this commitment, the next several years may see a decline rather than another spike of these types of problems.”

Ms. O’Neill said that a police officer in school serves a purpose much greater than as simply a reactionary agent to an incident that threatens immediate danger.  A police officer can be a role model, an educator and an informal counselor.

Ms. O’Neill also pointed out that in meeting with local law enforcement agencies in Jefferson County, she has heard about the lack of collaborative relations between the Sheriff’s Office and them.  She will make it one of her top priorities to repair those relationships and foster a joint effort to work together under a community-oriented policing model. “It also means a mindset change from within the Sheriff’s Office that proactively emphasizes problem-solving and partnership-building”.

Ms. O’Neill acknowledges that programs and initiatives take funding. She said a budget review may be in order to ensure the taxpayers are not burdened but that the community and the school kids are protected.

Ms. O’Neill said that the plan is evolving and that additional goals and objectives will be added. “I have a vision of operating a law enforcement agency that is the very best in New York State because it has refocused its efforts on community and school safety through a comprehensive inter-agency collaboration and shared services.”

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