Cayuga County Sheriff Brian Schenck says rising call volume, patrol vacancies and a jail staffing crisis are creating operational and budget challenges heading into the summer.
In a mid-year agency update, Schenck said deputies handled 1,882 calls for service in May, bringing the 2026 total through the end of May to 9,279 calls. That is up from 1,763 calls in May 2025 and 8,228 calls through the same point last year.
The sheriff’s office is operating with four vacant road patrol deputy positions because of retirements and resignations, Schenck said. Those vacancies are in addition to a full-time deputy sheriff position that was cut from this year’s budget.
Schenck said three to four deputies are typically responsible for covering nearly 700 square miles of the county on any given shift. He said the vacancies have created challenges that are expected to continue through the summer because hiring, training and preparing new deputies for solo patrol can take more than a year after the initial hire.
The agency’s Navigation Division has also returned to the water for the summer season, with patrol vessels on Cayuga Lake, Owasco Lake and Lake Ontario. The office also periodically patrols Cross Lake, the Seneca River and other waterways when staffing allows.
Schenck said it has become harder to fill seasonal part-time navigation positions. To maintain coverage, the agency has used full-time deputies, often with overtime funding, while also reducing routine water patrol hours because of budget concerns.
The Cayuga County Jail is facing deeper staffing problems. Schenck said the jail has 16 vacant positions out of 96 budgeted positions. Thirteen staff members retired or resigned in 2025, and 11 more have left so far this year.
Recruiting has become increasingly difficult as the pool of qualified candidates has shrunk, Schenck said. He also pointed to an expired bargaining-unit contract, which ended at the close of 2025 and remains unresolved.
Schenck said he has urged the Cayuga County Legislature to prioritize a fair labor agreement and consider professional recruiting efforts. He said the jail must staff mandated posts on every shift, which has driven overtime costs beyond budget projections.
The sheriff’s office is also developing contingency plans that could require housing inmates in other county jails if staffing shortages continue, Schenck said. He said that would create additional housing and transportation costs while pulling deputies and correction officers away from other duties.
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