Submitted photo: Genesee County Sheriff Gary Maha (right) is sworn in as chairman of the Executive Committee of the NYS Sheriffs' Association by Herkimer County Judge John Brennan at the installation of officers at the Association's 82nd Annual Winter Training Conference at the Desmond in Albany this week.

Press release:

The New York State Sheriffs' Association elected its Executive Committee at the 82nd Annual Winter Training Conference this week at the Desmond Hotel in Albany.

Members elected Genesee County Sheriff Gary Maha Chairman of the Executive Committee. Sheriff Maha will work with the newly elected President of the Association, Herkimer County Sheriff Chris Farber, and sheriffs around the state, to further the efforts of the Sheriffs' Association to enhance public safety in New York State through professional training and accreditation programs, public safety programs, and advocacy.

The New York State Sheriffs' Association, Inc., is a not-for-profit corporation, formed in 1934, for the purpose of assisting sheriffs in the efficient and effective delivery of services to the public. It comprises all of the elected and appointed sheriffs of New York State.

He wants to make citizens aware of the membership-drive mailings so they will know this is an official fundraising effort and not a scam.

The New York State Sheriffs’ Association Institute was established in 1979 and is a not-for-profit corporation, tax-exempt organization. Contributions to the institute are tax deductible.

While the Sheriff’s Office is a unit of county government, many of the concerns of Sheriffs and other law enforcement agencies are best addressed on a statewide level.

The Sheriffs’ institute provides centralized training programs and services for all Sheriffs’ Offices, where those programs and services would be unavailable or impractical on a single county basis.

The flagship program of the Sheriffs’ Institute is the Sheriffs’ Summer Camp for economically challenged children.

The Sheriffs’ Camp, in its 35^th year of operation, is located on Keuka Lake; and 840 children from across New York State attend each summer. The Sheriffs’ institute pays the entire cost of the camp stay plus transportation. Most children attending would not otherwise have an opportunity for vacation travel or a summer camp experience. 

The Sheriffs’ Camp program combines summer recreation with activities designed to teach an understanding of, and respect for, our laws and the men and women who enforce them. The strong camper-to-counselor ratio allows for individual attention with an emphasis on the development of self-esteem.

“In these difficult economic times, we cannot forget our youth who will not have the opportunity for a summer camp experience or a summer vacation,” Sheriff Maha said. “By becoming an honorary member, you are supporting the Sheriffs’ Summer Camp for economically disadvantaged children.”

In addition, the Sheriffs’ institute operates a scholarship program that provides one scholarship to each of New York State’s Community College’s Criminal Justice Programs. This program is designed to help attract the best and the brightest to the criminal justice vocation.

For more information about the Sheriffs’ Summer Camp and other Sheriffs’ institute programs, visit our Web site, www.sheriffsinstitute.org or simply search Sheriffs’ Institute.

Financial support for many of the Sheriffs’ institute programs comes from Honorary Membership dues. Invitations for Honorary Membership are extended on a non-partisan basis, and the invitees are selected at random.

Any person interested in supporting the efforts of the New York State Sheriffs’ Association Institute by becoming an Honorary Member should contact the Sheriff if they do not receive an invitation in the mail, or visit our Web site at: www.sheriffsinstitute.org to download an application.

The Sheriffs’ institute is registered with the New York State Attorney General’s Charities Bureau.