Cayuga County Sheriff Brian Schenck discussed a range of public safety initiatives, including traffic enforcement, school threat assessments, and a potential animal abuse registry, during an appearance on the Inside the FLX on Tuesday.
Schenck announced that his office will soon release a community survey to gather feedback on law enforcement services. The survey, which has not been conducted in several years, will allow residents to voice concerns and suggest improvements. Schenck emphasized the importance of constructive criticism and explained that the survey will help guide his department in responding to public needs.
“The Sheriff’s Office doesn’t belong to me. It belongs to the people,” Schenck said, noting that feedback is crucial for making necessary adjustments. He expects concerns over traffic enforcement and aggressive driving to emerge as key topics in the survey, an issue regularly flagged by county residents.
The Sheriff also highlighted the county’s focus on school safety through a multi-agency threat assessment team. Schenck reported that his team has addressed four cases this year involving potentially threatening behavior at local schools. The team, which includes law enforcement, mental health professionals, and social services, works to ensure students exhibiting concerning behavior are redirected from violence.
“Most of the threats we see are transient and don’t lead to anything serious, but we take every single one seriously,” Schenck said, acknowledging the heightened concerns following incidents of school violence nationwide.
Schenck also discussed plans for an “open house” at the Sheriff’s Office on October 7 to recruit new deputies for the jail division, encouraging interested individuals to learn more about careers in law enforcement.
Another major topic during the podcast was Schenck’s collaboration with the Finger Lakes SPCA to create an animal abuse registry for Cayuga County. The proposed registry would publicly list individuals convicted of animal abuse, helping to prevent them from acquiring new pets. The Sheriff explained that this measure is aimed at repeat offenders who continue to mistreat animals after prior convictions.
“We want to make sure individuals who have abused animals don’t get the chance to do it again,” Schenck said, noting that the initiative is still in its early stages but has been successfully implemented in a few other New York counties.
The registry would be accessible online, allowing shelters and pet adopters to verify if an individual has a history of animal abuse. The plan is to work with the county attorney’s office to draft the necessary legislation.
The Sheriff also mentioned the “Connecting Bridges” event, scheduled for the evening of September 25. Schenck, alongside Auburn Police Chief Jim Slaton and District Attorney Brittany Grome Antonacci, will hold the event to engage with the community at the Booker T. Washington Center in Auburn. The event aims to strengthen relationships between law enforcement and the public by providing a platform for open dialogue.
Throughout the conversation, Schenck underscored the importance of community involvement in public safety, particularly in reporting potential threats. He urged residents to take advantage of tools like the SaferWatch app to anonymously submit tips that could help prevent crimes.
“Law enforcement can’t solve these problems alone. We need the community’s help,” he said.
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