Paul Szmal: FLLX Morning continues, it is 8.39, sunny skies and 57, and it's Lawman Thursday, that means we're joined by Cayuga County Sheriff Brian Skank. Brian, good morning. How are you, sir?
Brian Schenck: Good morning, Paul. How are you today? I am good. It is a solemn day today, of course, because we are remembering the 24-year anniversary of September 11, 2001.
Paul Szmal: We are, and it sure is, and this is a very difficult day for our agency, just like it is for everybody throughout the nation to have to remember, you know, the travesty that happened on September 11, 2001, but it's more difficult, more so for us.
Brian Schenck: We did lose under Sheriff, retired under Sheriff Steve McLeod in 2019. He lost his battle with cancer that was attributed to his response to New York City just directly after the 9-11 attacks to assist there. So we remember under Sheriff McLeod today, as well as all of the people that were lost that tragic day, and I just also want to remember a few other folks that were connected directly to our community, but Laura Lee Morabito, who was on Flight 11, was flown into one of the towers, and we also lost New York State Police Sergeant Jeff Sikora, who had close ties. He lost his battle with cancer, as well, from his response, and some members of our military that fought in Afghanistan directly after this, Francis Phillips, Patrick DeVoe, Sergeant Jerome Bell, and Sean Walsh have ties to our community. They lost their lives during battle defending our freedom directly after 9-11. So, yep, we've got a lot of people in our local community that we lost. I know throughout your listening area, every community has similar stories, so this really impacts us greatly, and it's a difficult day, but today we remember and honor.
Paul Szmal: Absolutely. Absolutely, we do, yes. Well put, and thank you for making those statements. I want to get into the search warrant at Nutrition Bar Confectioners. Some people are calling it an immigration raid. I don't really know what the exact terminology would or should be, but I do know that usually local law enforcement is included in these types of actions when they happen. Was your department given a heads up from ICE that they were going to be coming in and executing a warrant?
Brian Schenck: We were, and I want to be very transparent on this subject. There are some things relative to an ongoing investigation in this case that I can't speak to, but I do want to provide as much information as I can relative to our involvement, and we were involved after being contacted by Border Patrol back at the end of July. They did request our assistance with the execution of an upcoming search warrant at Nutrition Bar Confectioners in Cato, and we have had a long-standing partnership with Border Patrol in our community as Cougar County does have an international border to the north. We are on Lake Ontario. We have an international border, and with that, Border Patrol, since 2009, has provided funding to our agency to provide them additional resources for proactive enforcement and assistance when they request it. They've also purchased a lot of equipment for us relative to that effort since 2009. That also includes a mobile command center that was used on the day of that search warrant execution on September 4th by multiple agencies that were involved, Homeland Security Investigations, Border Patrol, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. They were all on the scene there that day along with other agencies, and we were asked to provide some perimeter security and some traffic safety support there to make sure that the public was safe, that the scene was safe for anybody that was there, all parties involved. We didn't directly provide any immigration enforcement. That's not our primary role. That's not what we do, but we were asked with our long-standing partnership to provide that assistance outside the facility when they executed their search warrants. There is an ongoing investigation. I know that there's been information released relative to some individuals that were charged for reentering our country after having been deported previously, but there's also a continuing investigation that is being conducted by HSI. The Sheriff's Office is not directly involved in that investigation, and I can't speak to so further information will have to come from them down the road, but I just want to make sure we provide as much information and transparency about our involvement. I know this is a difficult topic, but we did assist them in enforcing immigration law and executing an additional search warrant that still remains under investigation that day.
Paul Szmal: I appreciate the comments on that. We're talking with Cuyahoga County Sheriff Brian Skank here this morning on FLX Morning. You, Under Sheriff Peenstra, Chief Flanagan, you all took a field trip to Albany. What was on the agenda?
Brian Schenck: We did, and a very proud day for us. We were invited to go to Albany. The New York State Accreditation Council with the Department of Criminal Justice Services was voting yesterday as to whether or not award us accreditation, agency accreditation, for our road patrol division. They invited us down. We were there for the vote. They did accept our assessment for accreditation that was conducted earlier this summer, and we are now one of 189 police agencies out of 532 in the state of New York that are fully accredited in the road patrol division. It was a proud moment for us to go down there to watch the vote, to accept a plaque and certificate, and to join the ranks of 189 agencies across the state that are fully accredited through the state of New York. It's quite an accomplishment. It's a testament to the fact that we're following the 112 standards of procedure that are in the accreditation program, and that we're meeting those policies and procedures relative to administration, training, and operations that show that we're utilizing the best practices and doing things the way that the state of New York and many agencies are expected to do them. So very proud to join those ranks. Very proud to say that now our road patrol division and our jail, which we were able to get accredited earlier this year, we've got accreditation for both of those divisions, and that's a really big accomplishment. I'd like to thank Stu Peenstra, our undersheriff, for spearheading that program, and a number of staff members that participated in making this happen, and it'll be an ongoing thing. But our people, this is a testament to the great work that they do every day out there.
Paul Szmal: And congratulations on the accreditation, yes.
Brian Schenck: Thank you. I wanted to ask you about the latest and greatest scams, because it seems like it's never ending, whether it's phone scams, mail scams, or scams now on computer where people are being targeted online and in their email. Has there been any new scams that have come up here on the forefront that we should give people a heads up about?
Paul Szmal: There is. And I think, Paul, every few months we're talking about a scam again. And unfortunately, I agree with you, they're just never going to go away. But one that we're seeing currently and one that the Federal Trade Commission is confirming is popping up all over the country still, and quite frequently is a tech scam that involves people reaching out to individuals. And whether it's a phone call saying that you have an issue with your computer and it needs to be fixed, or a pop-up because you clicked on a certain thing in your computer that says something's wrong and you need to call a number and get it fixed, people are taking advantage of people with that and getting them to allow access remotely to their computer. If you experience this and you have somebody trying to gain access to your computer remotely, whether they've called you or you've answered a call on a pop-up on the computer, steer clear of it. It's going to be a scam. Only reach out to trusted local people that you know that can help you with your computer. These folks will get remote access and they will get on your computer, they can take your personal information, they can get access to your accounts, or they might trick you into thinking that you need to pay them money to fix your computer when there's nothing wrong with it. And they will just keep trying to get money from you. So be aware of that. We've seen that in our community here locally. We've seen some people with some pretty significant losses. Just be aware of that and please share that with others that could potentially fall victim. The only way we combat these scams, because we almost can never get the money back, is not to fall for them in the first place. So education is key. Just be aware. And I'm sure in the coming months we will continue to bring you the latest scams that are out there and just keep trying to educate our community.
Brian Schenck: I imagine for you and your department it's got to be frustrating when you get calls or reports of people that have been victimized by these scams because they're difficult and sometimes nearly impossible to track down.
Paul Szmal: They really are. And a lot of times the money that's been scammed, it's going outside the country or the scams are being perpetrated primarily from another country outside of our border. So it's almost impossible for us to get the money back. We very rarely do, just due to the nature of these being perpetrated from so far away. So really, again, education is key. We've got to make sure we don't fall for them in the first place. And if you're aware of these scams and you hear us talk about them, please share them with others so that they don't fall victim either.
Brian Schenck: I wanted to ask you, too, if there was any news on the hiring front, any more open houses coming up, anything of that nature?
Paul Szmal: We don't have a current open house scheduled right now, but every Thursday we did implement a new program where every Thursday between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. we do take walk-ins for open interviews if anybody wants to come in and just learn about the jobs that we have to talk about pursuing a particular job. We do have open positions in our custody division and we're always welcoming individuals to come in. I know every agency in your listening area, my fellow sheriffs, chiefs, every agency out there is looking for staff. So I would encourage you, if you want to really pursue a rewarding career, which I love, I still love it today after 29 years, if you want to pursue a rewarding career, reach out to your local law enforcement agency and get more information. But visit us any Thursday between 2 and 4 and we'd love to talk to you about the work that we do.
Brian Schenck: As always, Brian, I appreciate the time. Thank you, sir. We'll talk to you again in a month.
Paul Szmal: Thank you, Paul. I appreciate the opportunity and thank you to everyone for listening today. It is 8.50 on FLX morning.
