File photo by Howard Owens.
Press release:
Chief Deputy – Criminal Investigation Division Joseph M. Graff will seek the Republican Party endorsement for the 2024 election for Genesee County Sheriff.
Chief Deputy Graff, 50, has nearly 25 years of experience in local law enforcement in Genesee County. He began his law enforcement career in March 1999 as a Probation Officer with the Genesee County Probation Department, and in February 2004, was appointed Deputy Sheriff with the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office. In 2015, he was promoted to the position of Investigator, and in 2017, he was promoted to the position of Chief Deputy – Road Patrol. Chief Deputy Graff then accepted the position of Chief Deputy – Criminal Investigation Division in 2019, a position he currently holds. The two Chief Deputy Positions he has held are the highest-ranking administrative positions within the Sheriff’s Office Police Bureau, directly under the Sheriff and Undersheriff.
Chief Deputy Graff is a graduate of the Niagara County Law Enforcement Academy, where he attended the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services - Basic Course for Police, receiving his certification as a police officer. He received the Academic Achievement Award and was also honored with the Joseph E. Steblein Award, which is given to the top overall graduate in the academy class. Over the course of his career, Chief Deputy Graff has attended trainings that include Interviewing and Interrogation, Criminal Investigations, Use of Force, New York Law Enforcement and the Law - Updates Practices and Procedures, Patrol Interdiction, Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement, Child Forensic Interviewing, Advanced Homicide – Violent Crime, National Incident Management, and Police Supervision.
Chief Deputy Graff holds credentials as a New York State Department of Criminal Justice Services Instructor and has served the Sheriff’s Office as an instructor of Aerosol Subject Restraint, ASP/Baton, General Topics, Electronic Control Devices, and Firearms. He is a member of the Genesee County Threat Assessment Committee and has been a Field Training Officer as well as a former member of the Emergency Response Team.
Over his career, Chief Deputy Graff has received departmental recognition awards including Officer of the Year in 2007, two Commendations, two Meritorious Service awards, and has also been the recipient of the Kiwanis Club of Batavia Criminal Justice Award. He is experienced in overseeing the Road Patrol Bureau, as well as criminal investigation operations of the Sheriff’s Office, the Sheriff’s Office budget, equipment purchasing, administration of grants, coordinating departmental training, internal investigations, and selection of new hire personnel.
Chief Deputy Graff is a lifelong resident of Genesee County. He graduated from Notre Dame High School and received his Bachelor of Arts degree from St. John Fisher University. He and his wife, Erin, are proud parents to three daughters, Gabrielle, Gianna and Lila.
“If endorsed and elected Sheriff, I will continue my commitment to provide a safe, stable, and secure community for the residents of Genesee County. I look to advance the Sheriff’s Office in step with the future of public safety and maintain the tradition of service from the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office,” Joseph Graff, Chief Deputy.
