Sheriff Joseph A. Gerace announced today that he will be seeking re-election as sheriff of Chautauqua County.

“Since I was first elected as Chautauqua County Sheriff, my professional team of deputies, correction officers, 911 dispatchers and other staff and I have risen to every challenge presented to the office at the least possible cost to property taxpayers,” Gerace said. “I am asking the voters of Chautauqua County to allow me to carry out the mission of this office for the next four years.”

Sheriff Gerace, a 39-year Sheriff’s Office veteran, holds a master’s degree in administration from Alfred University, a bachelor’s degree in Police Science from Mercyhurst College, and an associate’s degree in Criminal Justice from Jamestown Community College. He has been extensively trained by the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Since taking office, Sheriff Gerace has been recognized by various regional and national organizations for his work, some of which include Achievement Award in Criminal Investigation; Alcohol and Substance Abuse Prevention Education Award; Distinguished Alumni Award; Elder Abuse Prevention Service Award; Meritorious Service Award; United Way Volunteer of the Year; Patriotic Employer Award; Friend of Education Award 2008; JCC President’s Award for Excellence 2012 and Hometown Heroes Award 2012 and 2016.

Gerace was also recognized in County Legislature Motion 297 commending his and participating media’s role for initiating Chautauqua County’s “Wanted Program,” which has resulted in the apprehension of hundreds of individuals with outstanding arrest warrants.

Numerous programs with the goal of improving public safety for residents and visitors to Chautauqua County have been implemented under Gerace’s leadership. Programs and initiatives include: a countywide public safety radio system which provides inter-operable communications for police/fire/EMS in Chautauqua County; an inmate weekender work program which places formally sentenced inmates on work detail instead of being jailed at county expense; a welfare fraud investigation partnership with the Department of Social Services; the WE-TIP hotline which allows people to report crime anonymously; anti-drunk-driving education in local high schools which educates students on the dangers and punishment of driving under the influence; emergency medical dispatch which provides callers to 911 with pre-arrival instructions for the caller to perform on the person in crisis; Smart 911 which allows residents to create a public safety profile that can be set to dispatch in case of emergency; and most recently the EMT program which trains deputies as Emergency Medical Technicians to assist volunteer fire departments in medical calls.

The Forensic Identification Team, developed in cooperation with the County Association of Chiefs of Police and the County District Attorney’s Office, is, according to Gerace, “an award-winning, one-of-a-kind program recognized by the New York State Sheriffs’ Association.” FIT works to pool experienced crime scene invesitagors from all county police agencies to investigate serious crime scenes.

Under Gerace’s leadership the Sheriff’s Office has received five accreditations for divisions within the Sheriff’s Office and is one of only six sheriff’s offices in New York state to receive all five, including: Law Enforcement Accreditation; Jail Accreditation; 911 Center Accreditation; Civil Office Accreditation; and Court Security Accreditation.

“In addition to pursuit, apprehension and prosecution of people charged with crimes, our mission includes addressing challenges of our senior citizens,” Gerace added. “Programs my team has implemented include RUOK – The “Are You Okay?” program which provides a computerized phone reassurance safety network for senior citizens; work with The Office of the Aging through the Save Our Seniors program which provides free used cellphones to seniors so they can dial 911 in cases of emergencies; the Return Us Safely Home program which provides bracelets or pendants to memory impaired seniors who have lost their way and sponsors educational presentations to senior citizen groups to keep them informed and help prevent victimization; and lastly, the scam prevention education program which helps to protect our seniors from being victimized by scam artists.”

Sheriff Gerace’s many accolades include: serving as past president of the New York State Sheriffs’ Assn. and currently as trustee; chair of the NYSSA 911 and Technology Committees; New York State Interoperable and Emergency Communication board member; and Chautauqua County Traffic Safety Board chairman and county STOP-DWI coordinator.

He is an also adjunct part time instructor at Jamestown Community College and Fredonia University where he teaches criminal justice. In his sparetime, he is active as a community volunteer and coach for youth hockey and softball. He is also a board member of Chautauqua Opportunities Inc. and serves as President of the Children’s Safety and Education Village Inc.

Sheriff Gerace oversees the Southern Tier Regional Drug Task force and is currently developing a plan to work with County Executive George Borrello’s task force to address the opioid epidemic.

Sheriff Gerace lives in West Ellicott with his wife, Gina and their children.