law enforcment

While at the GOP convention in Cleveland, Assemblyman Steve Hawley said he decided to organize an effort to honor the men and women of law enforcement, so he called on people in New York on Friday to wear blue.

Yesterday afternoon, Hawley, along with County Legislator Ray Cianfrini and City Councilman Adam Tabelski met at the Sheriff's Office on Park Road, Batavia, to tell representatives of the Sheriff's Office, State Police and Batavia PD that they appreciate their service to the community.

"I couldn't be prouder of what you do every single day, whether you're in the City of Batavia, whether you're in the County of Genesee or in Monroe County or the State of New York," Hawley said. "It's not an easy job. It never has been. When you put on that badge and uniform today more than ever you never know what's going to happen."

Hawley's call for support of local law enforcement comes in the wake of tragedies in Dallas and Baton Rouge, La.

"I can't imagine what you go through every time you put on the badge," Hawley said.

Tabelski said he appreciating the dedication police officers bring to their jobs.

"When you're hired as a police officer, it's more than just a job," Tabelski said. "It's a calling. It's something you are passionate about. We know about the difficulties you have to deal with and all the inconveniences you have to deal with, a lot more than just having to wear long sleeves on a hot day, so on behalf of the city, I just want to say, 'thank you.' "

Below, Hawley with members of the California Highway Patrol in Cleveland (photo submitted by Steve Hawley).

The staff at Tompkins Financial also expressed their support Friday by wearing blue.

Staff of Rosicki, Rosicki & Associates, P.C., Law Offices on Harvester Avenue.

Press release:

Three dozen sites throughout Western New York will host a medication drop-off day on Saturday, April 26 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It’s the largest single day drop-off in Western New York. The Drug Enforcement Administration is leading the effort as part of a national campaign with the support of local police agencies.

The locations for Genesee County include the Le Roy Village Hall hosted by the Le Roy Police Department, the Pembroke Town DPW (intersection of State routes 5 and 77) hosted by the Genesee County Sheriff’s Department, and the Batavia City Police Department hosted by the Batavia Police Department.

A similar event held in October collected more than four tons of unwanted and unneeded medications from residential homes. Western New York leads the state in collections.

The purpose behind this event is to keep medications out of the hands of teens looking to experiment and to keep our water safe. Flushing old medications contaminate the water table and eventually our drinking water.

Press release:

April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month and traffic crashes continue to be the greatest threat to the safety of the average New Yorker and the number one killer of teens in America. Cell phone use and texting are responsible for a significant proportion of traffic crashes, injuries, and deaths. These behaviors continue to become increasingly common despite their obvious danger.

State and local law enforcement are participating in stepped up traffic safety enforcement efforts including “Operation Hang Up” announced by Governor Cuomo yesterday. “Operation Hang Up” will consist of high visibility, stepped up cell phone and texting enforcement statewide April 10 – April 15.

“The State Police has always been in the forefront of trying to keep our highways safe for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians. Operation Hang Up is a campaign about protecting everyone using our roads and highways from preventable injuries and property damage caused by distracted drivers using cell phone and other electronic devices,” said Major Michael Cerretto, Troop A Commander.

The dates for this year’s spring "Operation Hang-Up Campaign" correspond with a coordinated nationwide effort to combat distracted driving through ad campaigns and enforcement. In response, Troop A will partner up with other law enforcement agencies and will make distracted driving enforcement a priority.

Operation Hang-Up will run from Thursday, April 10, through Tuesday, April 15.