From Genesee County Sheriff's Investigator R. Pete Welker:
Genesee County Residents:
I am writing in support of re-electing William A. Sheron Jr. as the Sheriff of Genesee County.
I am a 25-year veteran of the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office, having served as a Corrections Officer, as a Uniformed Deputy Sheriff and, for the last 20 years, as an Investigator.
With the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office being a relatively young department, including many officers in new supervisory positions, combined with all the new challenges due to New York State reforms being thrust upon the law enforcement community, the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office doesn’t need change; it needs stability that comes through experience and proven leadership. Leadership that comes from 43 years of experience within the same department; leadership that comes from serving 20 years as the Undersheriff; and leadership that comes from already serving as Sheriff for over 3 years now.
During my entire career here at the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office, Sheriff Sheron has served in multiple supervisory positions: first as Chief Deputy (Road Patrol), then as the Undersheriff for 20 years (with former Sheriff Gary Maha), and finally as the Sheriff since January 1, 2017. Before my time here, Sheriff Sheron also served as a Dispatcher, a Deputy (Jail), a Deputy (Road Patrol), a Sergeant (Road Patrol/Drug Task Force), and as an Investigator.
With 43 years of law enforcement experience, all served within the same department, and after climbing through the ranks, Sheriff Sheron has acquired comprehensive knowledge regarding every aspect of the daily operations at our office. Sheriff Sheron oversees well over 100 employees from the Sheriff’s Office, the Jail, the Dispatch Center, the Animal Shelter, Genesee Justice, and the Justice for Children Advocacy Center.
In addition to all of this, Sheriff Sheron also made a sound decision naming Brad Mazur as his Undersheriff. Brad Mazur served for 20 years at the Sheriff’s Office as a Deputy and then as a Sergeant and was consistently one of our most productive officers. Undersheriff Mazur exhibited great leadership qualities during his time as the Sergeant in charge of the Criminal Investigation Division as well as the Drug Task Force. Brad Mazur has impeccable character and has shown constant professionalism throughout his 20-year career. Brad is not only well respected within the divisions that fall under his supervision, but also within the community. I cannot think of anyone within our department that is better suited or more qualified to hold the position of Undersheriff than Brad Mazur.
As a result of numerous retirements in recent years, the Sheriff now leads a very young department. We have a great group of outstanding new Deputies and about half of them were hired within the last 5 years. The most noteworthy changes came in the last two years when our two Chief Deputies retired with over 80 years of experience between them.
There are also new challenges facing law enforcement with the new bail and discovery reform laws in New York State. It won’t be a simple task learning to navigate through this new set of complications for law enforcement. It will not only affect the day-to-day operations of our patrols, but will also present new budgetary concerns due to the need for added personnel to handle the new discovery demands. With the time that these challenges will demand, it will be imperative that the person occupying the position of Sheriff already possess a proficient working knowledge of all the normal day-to-day operations of the multiple divisions that fall under the supervision of the Sheriff.
I encourage the citizens of Genesee County to continue to support the professional law enforcement leadership in Genesee County by re-electing William A. Sheron for Sheriff.
Respectfully,
Investigator R. Pete Welker
