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City PD hires new animal control and parking enforcement officer

By Howard B. Owens

Drivers who illegally park in handicapped spaces, be warned: James Sheflin is on the job.

Sheflin started three weeks ago with Batavia PD as the city's new parking enforcement and dog control officer.

The part-time position was vacant for a few months before Sheflin's hire.

The 22-year-old Sheflin is from Le Roy, the son of a former Le Roy Fire Department chief, and is a part-time dispatcher for the Sheriff's Office.

Chief Shawn Heubusch said among the things he likes about Sheflin is that he will take on the job enthusiastically, but not over zealously.

Parking enforcement downtown is important, Heubusch said, but parking 30 minutes in a 15-minute zone is not the same as parking in a handicapped spot.

And Sheflin said that illegal parking in handicapped spots is one of his personal pet peeves.

"To me I think it’s just complete laziness when somebody who is not handicapped parks in one," Sheflin said. "That’s not acceptable to me. Those spots are there for a reason and you need a permit for a reason."

The job is a uniformed, civilian position in the department. Parking enforcement officers are responsible for patrolling the entire city limits and enforcing all parking regulations.

Part of the dog control officer's job is to ensure dogs in the city are licensed and to protect animals from inhumane treatment. The dog control officer enforces state, county and city ordinances.

Sheflin said he's a dog lover and isn't concerned about dealing with vicious dogs and wants to protect animals against mistreatment.

His ultimate goal is to become a police officer, ideally in the City of Batavia.

"It's good to get my foot in the door and prove to Chief Heubusch I can be a good employee," Sheflin said. "I figured if I come here, do a good job, it looks good on the resume, at least.”

Greg Bruggman

Another parking complaint I have is parking ACROSS the sidewalk, whether it be a business or private driveway, that I think Mr. Sheflin should be looking for. According to NYS Vehicle and Traffic Law # 1202 (b), THIS IS ILLEGAL !! I see it happening quite frequently here in the City of Batavia and other places !!

Nov 16, 2012, 3:23pm Permalink
Mark Potwora

What kind of part time hrs does this job entail...What is the pay..Does he have animal control experience..Didn't realize that there is a parking problem in Batavia...Or is this more about creating revenue for the city........Was this job open for the public to apply for .....I thought the city elimated this job to save money...How long before they work it back to a full time position...

Nov 16, 2012, 5:13pm Permalink
John Roach

Mark,
This is not a new job. It was vacant and filled. And both the parking enforcement and animal control use to be full time. Years ago when they were cut to part time, even you said it was a good idea.

Now, you have what use to be 2 full time jobs not only combined, but part time. That's a 75% cut, and I call that a good move on the city's part.

Nov 17, 2012, 7:23am Permalink

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