Putnam Sheriff Working To Reorganize Department

PUTNAM COUNTY, NY — Putnam Sheriff Kevin McConville is working on reorganizing the Sheriff's Office, but the new Putnam Sheriff and his leadership team are doing the work without the benefit of a consultant's report about operations at the department, particularly the use of overtime.

It was commissioned in 2020 and received in 2021, but neither McConville nor the members of the Putnam Legislature's Protective Services Committee have seen the report from Bonadio & Co., they told Patch. A FOIL request for the report to the county clerk was rejected on the basis that consultants' reports are exempt intra-agency communication under the New York State Freedom of Information Law.

Overtime had been paid for in part through a budgeting mechanism called fund transfers that the department had used during the administrations of Sheriff Donald Smith and Robert Langley. While the Putnam Legislature let it slide during the former they objected vociferously during the latter.

Only two lawmakers answered Patch's request to all members of the legislature for comment: Carl Albano and Nancy Montgomery.

"Overtime not anticipated and/or budgeted in any department concerns me. The Sheriff's department is no different especially since their numbers have always appeared high. In my 11+ years on the Legislature, I have always wondered if Sheriffs' overtime could be reduced without affecting the quality of service," Albano said. "I am hopeful the Bonadio report will provide some valuable information with regard to this. It appears our new Sheriff is aware of our concerns, and it appears he is managing the department in such a way that may result in less overtime while providing the same and possibly better service. Time will tell."

Montgomery said she was concerned that lawmakers had heard nothing about either the $45,000 Bonadio assessment or changes to be implemented under the Putnam County Police Police Comprehensive Reform Plan.

"You and I don’t know how all this has played out because the promise of transparency, that was supposed to come out of the Comprehensive Review and the new Sheriff’s administration, has yet to surface," she said.

At the Protective Services Committee meeting of April 19, McConville said he is in the process of completing a reorganization and restructuring. Once it is completed, he will confer and consult and, if applicable, he will provide a copy to the Legislature.

Meanwhile, McConville offered some information about the reorganization work. He explained that unlike previous administrations, he would not say how many or where the department was deploying patrols. However he did say that he was not following the previous administration's routine daily deployment of what he called an "unfunded patrol."

At the meeting, Montgomery said she had heard that the department had cut back on road patrols and asked for data on the number of road patrols this year compared to past years. McConville repeated what he had said in his statement, that "contrary to past practices I will not address any specifics about patrol operations out of concern for safety and security for our members, as well as for other law enforcement agencies."

He said he was working closely with Putnam’s local police departments.

Chairwoman Ginny Nacerino said that she believed it was the right oversight and that Sheriff McConville was taking a strong approach on the matter of unnecessary overtime.

McConville pointed out that he and his leadership team were working with the budget the Legislature and County Executive MaryEllen Odell had created, but which they had not had a say in.

At the meeting, McConville said the reorganization work was not based on the Bonadio report. He stated it is based on proper law enforcement techniques, strategies, and operational factors from his 30-plus years of law enforcement experience, managerial, data analysis experience, and conversations with other law enforcement professionals who have in excess of 25 years’ experience. He stated he has over 210 years of experience among the members of his Command Staff, the State Police, other law enforcement agencies and throughout New York State.

Still, he told Patch, when he and his leadership team receive the Bonadio report, "We'll go through it with a fine-tooth comb."

As of 2021, the Sheriff’s Department has been working towards achieving NYS DCJS accreditation.

McConville told Patch that accreditation would provide formal recognition that the department meets or exceeds recognized, tough standards including policies that are conceptually sound and operationally effective.