By Robert Harding
The Citizen, Auburn, N.Y.
OWASCO, N.Y. — A year ago, Cayuga County Sheriff Brian Schenck warned the county Legislature’s Judicial and Public Safety Committee about the worsening staffing problems at the jail.
Sitting in front of the same committee on Wednesday, Schenck urged lawmakers to take action as the number of vacant custody officer positions grows to 16 with the retirements of two senior female deputies.
Those departures will mean one-sixth of the 96 budgeted positions at the jail will be unfilled.
Although the jail will get a boost when three recruits graduate from the academy on Monday, four custody officers are out on long-term leave due to illness or injury.
Schenck noted there is “growing frustration” about the staffing crisis at the jail. Several custody officers and their family members were in the audience — an unusual occurrence for a legislative committee meeting.
“I’m growing more concerned with that, too, because I think we’re not treating this with the priority that it needs to be treated with,” Schenck said.
Among the challenges facing the county’s custody officers is their contract expired at the end of 2025. The three-year contract was negotiated in 2023, and Schenck explained he supported that duration to take further action to retain senior staff and boost recruitment.
The union representing the jail custody officers sent a letter in March 2025 notifying the county’s leadership that it was ready to begin negotiations on a new contract. Schenck also sent a letter in May 2025 to Cayuga County Legislature Chairman Jonathan Anna.
The jail staffing woes were mentioned at the Judicial and Public Safety Committee meeting on June 10, 2025. At that meeting, Schenck warned of losing officers to retirement, burnout among staff, the costs of increasing overtime and advised there would be “opportunities for retention” if the county engaged in negotiations.
“As we kicked this can down the road for another year, we’ve lost 12 retirees in the past year from last year on this date to today,” Schenck said. “That’s just retirees. We’ve lost more than that. That’s just people that retired — that we didn’t sit down and try to keep them or retain them.”
Schenck raised the jail staffing issues again at a committee meeting in October. Negotiations with the union began in November and continued into this year. The most recent meeting was scheduled for a date in May, but it was postponed to June 30.
When Schenck negotiated other contracts with the custody officer and road patrol unions, most of them were the product of a facilitated intensive negotiation process that occurred over three days. That has not been used in the most recent round of talks, he revealed, even though it could expedite the process to secure an agreement.
“I understand the frustration that our staff has. I have a lot of frustration,” Schenck said. “I think it’s going to hit us in the wallet. But my bigger concern is these individuals here are working a lot of overtime. They’re being mandated. They’re taking time away from their families. I think they deserve us coming to the table, talking with them and trying to negotiate an agreement.”
Two members of the committee, Cayuga County Legislators Aileen McNabb-Coleman and Ben Vitale, agreed that the staffing crisis at the jail should be a priority.
Legislator Mark Strong, who chairs the committee, is a retired state correction officer. After thanking Schenck for the update, he spoke directly to the jail custody officers in attendance.
“I personally stand behind each and every one of you,” Strong said. He added, “I will do my best to try to make the sheriff’s wishes come to fruition as far as sitting down with your negotiators and having this discussion. I will make it a priority myself.”
Meanwhile, the loss of two female custody officers will have an immediate impact on the jail. Schenck explained the retirements will reduce the number of female staff to “critically low” numbers. When the jail is housing female inmates, a female officer must be in the facility.
Schenck is developing a contingency plan that includes boarding out female inmates. It would be costly because not only would the county have to pay to house them elsewhere, but the sheriff’s office would still be responsible for transporting them to court appearances and medical appointments.
“I know that’s not good news,” Schenck said, “but that’s the reality of what we’re dealing with right now.”
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