Photo by David Prenatt Chautauqua County Sheriff James Quattrone spoke to those assembled at the Ripley Town Council’s July meeting.

RIPLEY — Sheriff James Quattrone addressed members of the Ripley Town Council, as well as Ripley residents who attended the July board meeting, explaining his philosophy and clarifying new legislation.

Town Supervisor Doug Bowen noted that Ripley pays $30,000 a year for Enhanced Sheriff’s Protection. Those communities in Chautauqua County that have an enhanced Sheriff’s Agreement, receive enhanced police protection through the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office, provided through the use of part-time deputies and paid for by each municipality.

Quattrone told board members that he is encouraging community policing or “old time policing,” by encouraging his officers to stop and have a cup of coffee with the people. “I want us to be seen,” he said.

Quattrone also spoke about New York State’s “No Cash Bail” law which goes into effect on January 1, 2020. Basically, Quattrone said, the state legislature has eliminated cash bail for most misdemeanor and non-violent felony offenses.

A person who has been arrested gets an appearance ticket after they are charged; they don’t go to jail, Quattrone said. “This is bail reform and I think we needed some bail reform, but I believe they went a little far with this,” he said.

Quattrone outlined some of the difficulties the new law will create, particularly for the District Attorney. New legislation requires that discovery documents, which include articles that have been inspected and tested, must be turned over automatically 15 days after an indictment, Quattrone said.

Quattrone explained the TruNarc device, which allows law enforcement officials to quickly identify suspected narcotics in the field. He said the device can be used to charge a person. However, for a conviction drugs must be analyzed in a laboratory, which takes more than 15 days, quite often several weeks or months.