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For cooperation, elect Quattrone

Commentary

I am a retired Chautauqua County sheriff’s lieutenant and former head of the Southern Tier Regional Drug Task Force. As such, I have participated in and supervised over literally hundreds of successful narcotics investigations here in Chautauqua County and throughout Western New York. These investigations ranged anywhere from small scale local drug cases to federal drug cases with national and international connections. My point here is not to brag but to state a fact as follows:

The chief reason that these investigations succeeded was because of interagency cooperation. At the time of my tenure, all police agencies in Chautauqua County, along with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, worked together sharing manpower, intelligence, and equipment. As a result of this successful cooperation we were able to effect many successful drug arrests and prosecutions on both a state and federal level. We enjoyed unparalleled success because of this cooperation.

Today, we see separate drug enforcement agencies here in Chautauqua County each going in their own direction and each reporting to their own chain of command. This makes no sense and is counterproductive to drug enforcement efforts here in Chautauqua County — not to mention the safety issues which are too lengthy to go into at this time.

I point these things out because I think that, with the right leadership at the county sheriff’s position, our drug enforcement efforts here would improve immensely. Cooperation is key.

I have known Jim Quattrone for more than 25 years in a law enforcement capacity. His credentials are impeccable. Most importantly, he has been endorsed by the Chautauqua County Association of Chiefs of Police — representing all of the seven full time police agencies here in Chautauqua County including Jamestown, Dunkirk, and Fredonia. These police chiefs know and understand the importance of interagency cooperation. They understand that successful narcotic cases begin and end with interagency cooperation. I know this because I have worked with each of these chiefs in the past.

Jim has also been endorsed by the state Deputy Sheriff”s Association, the State Police Investigators Association, and the New York State Troopers PBA. These police endorsements, in their totality, are no accident and are too numerous to ignore,

This November, I intend to vote for Jim because he represents our best opportunity to bring all police agencies here in Chautauqua County together in attempting to solve the drug problems here. I know the Chiefs of Police here in Chautauqua County and I agree with them.

John Runkle is a Cassadaga resident.

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