Sheriff’s deputies are well-received as BOCES SROs

GOSHEN – Recently reintroduced sheriff’s deputies at the Orange-Ulster BOCES complex in Goshen have been well-received by students and staff, District Superintendent Terrence Olivo said Thursday.

The deputies were placed at the campus following the tragedy at a Newtown, Connecticut elementary school.

Olivo said the deputies have raised the comfort level in the buildings.

“They do a lot more than being an armed guard; that’s almost the last reason they are there,” Olivo said. “They serve as counselors, they serve as trainers for both students and staff, they develop relationships with students and staff that help prevent things from occurring.”

The sheriff’s office, meanwhile, has gone back to the county legislature asking for funding to backfill the two deputy positions that were taken from the ranks of the force and transferred to BOCES.