Captains in Sheriff’s Dept. Won’t Return Under Langley
All five captains of the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department won’t be back under new Sheriff Robert Langley when he begins his term on Jan. 1.
Langley, who ran on the Democratic line and is a former investigator with the department, requested the five captains that currently serve under Republican Sheriff Don Smith submit their resignations this week. Langley’s transition team chairman, Jim Borkowski, confirmed that the captains wouldn’t be reappointed in an email sent Monday afternoon.
“Captains are appointed by the Sheriff, and it is the Sheriff’s prerogative to choose his command team,” Borkowski said. “As one might expect with a change in administration, particularly after 16 years, the new Sheriff wants to hire his own team and shape the leadership culture of the administration. Sheriff-elect Langley thanks Don Smith’s captains for their service and wishes them well in their future endeavors.”
Borkowski said the transition team would announce the new captains once the search and selection process is concluded.
Langley, in one of the resignation letters obtained by The Putnam Examiner, wrote to a captain that in his current capacity, he serves at the pleasure of the sheriff and would not be reappointed starting next year.
“I request that you tender your resignation, effective 12:01 a.m. January 1, 2018. I ask that your resignation be received no later than December 8, 2017,” Langley wrote in the brief letter. “Thank you for your years of service to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, and to the people of Putnam County.”
Three of the captains set to leave the department are graduates of the FBI National Academy, according to the sheriff’s office website.
Langley narrowly edged Smith, who has served for 16 years, in the November election. It was revealed last month that current undersheriff Paul Boscia won’t be back next year after former sheriff’s investigator Michael Corrigan was selected to serve as Langley’s second in command.
Smith, when reached for comment Monday, said he while he wishes Sheriff-elect Langley and his new leadership team nothing but success and best wishes, he was “deeply saddened” to learn the five current captains would not be retained.
“They provide an outstanding wealth of education, training experience and leadership to the operations of the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office and the accomplishment of its important mission of keeping the public safe,” Smith said in an email. “Their combined service represents more than a century and a half of dedicated law enforcement experience and service to the people of Putnam County.”
Smith said the five captains helped the department reach multiple achievements, including establishing a multi-agency emergency response team, medical and mental support for the correctional facility, and implementation of high standard training programs. The captains also helped the sheriff’s office forge partnerships with multiple law enforcement agencies and put in place community policing programs like the school resource officer.
Current captains were members of the department dating all the way back to when Sheriff Robert Thouboron ran the department, before Smith came into office.
“I truly believe that the hard working rank and file team members of the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office and Correctional Facility who work so diligently and professionally to keep Putnam County safe, share my disappointment in losing the invaluable wisdom and leadership of the five captains of the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office and Correctional Facility,” Smith said.
