By Luke Mosseau
The Post-Star, Glens Falls, N.Y.
WARREN COUNTY, N.Y. — A 2025 report from the New York State Commission of Correction has caused a recent stir in the ranks of Warren County correctional officers, with public rumblings that as many as 14 positions could be cut to save taxpayer dollars.
Warren County Sheriff Jim LaFarr defended the officers in a strong rebuke over rumors about dismissals, adding that, if anything, the correctional facility is understaffed and that cuts would be detrimental to the county.
The Commission’s report states that 50 posts are needed to properly operate the Warren County Correctional Facility, with a recommended staff of around 1.8 personnel per post, meaning approximately 90 corrections staffers would be required to operate the facility. Warren County currently has 88 personnel in correctional staffing.
In 2004, the state recommended around 47 posts to operate a correctional facility, before increasing that number to 59.5 posts in the years following, before shrinking once again in the last few years. “The 2021 budget was the first after the election of a new sheriff, and it has been straight up since then without so much as a mention to anyone that the state dropped the number of required posts back to near the 2004 levels,” said Travis Whitehead, local government watchdog and budget hawk.
Pushing back, Sheriff LaFarr says, “The manner with which this was brought to light publicly has upended our sheriff’s office. We struggle in corrections. The morale of our sheriff’s office right now, in our correctional facility, has taken a significant hit. Our team right now, they’re in a panic. They’re in a panic because there was a statement made publicly that we could cut 14 positions.”
Despite an initial public call for job cuts, there has been no serious, in-depth discussions at the county level about terminating positions at the County’s Department of Corrections, but that didn’t stop Sheriff LaFarr from getting out ahead of the potential. “I understand that we are responsible to the taxpayers, and these discussions are very important. If we are overstaffed, we are wasting taxpayer dollars, but I’m going to stand here and tell you we are not overstaffed. It’s just the contrary,” Sheriff LaFarr continued.
Whitehead took issue with the $14.1 million 2025 budget for the Warren County Correctional Facility , which is more than $4 million in corrections spending than similar jails in St. Lawrence, Delaware, and Washington counties. Sheriff LaFarr disputed the budget comparisons, given the different circumstances in each county and facility.
Alongside Whitehead, Queensbury Supervisor at-Large Doug Beatty has talked publicly about potential cost savings and cuts at the correctional facility after reviewing the Commission’s 2025 report. Beatty has since indicated his intentions were to review the jail efficiency and simply hold a discussion about the possibility of reducing positions through attrition.
“When the State Department of Corrections is saying, ‘Hey, every county, you have an opportunity to save taxpayer money and maintain safety,’ that’s something we should look at,” Beatty said. “I would never be in support of laying off any correction officer.”
Beaty also thanked Sheriff LaFarr for providing him with a tour of the Warren County Correctional Facility. “I got no complaints on how that jail’s run. I’m a huge supporter of the Department of Corrections. Every dollar spent is a dollar that needs to be spent wisely, and so that’s why this came up. Not that we’re spending it unwisely, but could we be more efficient?” Beatty added.
Jeff Palmerino, of Teamsters Local 294, showed his support for the Warren County correction officers, stating there were serious concerns about the proposed position eliminations and the impact they would have on employee safety.
“We’ve been closely monitoring the discussions about the 2025 New York State Commission of Corrections assessment and the recommendation of eliminating 14 positions. While we recognize the county’s responsibility to identify opportunities to control costs, we have serious concerns about the impact these proposed cuts could have on the safety, security of the facility, our members, and the incarcerated individuals in our care,” Palmerino said.
“Correction work is demanding under normal circumstances. Officers are responsible for maintaining order, monitoring incarcerated individuals, responding to emergencies, conducting security checks, preventing contraband, supervising movement, making critical decisions, often in unpredictable and stressful situations,” Palmerino continued. “These responsibilities require officers to remain alert, focused, and capable of responding immediately when something goes wrong. Simply reducing staffing levels puts additional pressure on officers who already remain in the facility working. Fewer officers inside the facility means fewer personnel to respond to emergencies when they occur. It can result in slower response times during fights, medical emergencies.”
Additionally, Sheriff LaFarr pointed out inconsistencies with the Commission’s post requirements in the past, and how it constantly fluctuates.
For instance, in 2003, the average annual inmate population at the Warren County Correctional Facility was 96. At the time, the commission stated that the county needed 45.25 posts to safely staff that facility. In 2007, the average population was 119 and the commission stated that the county needed 43.42 officers to safely staff the facility. In 2013, the annual census was 128. Yet, the commission said 59.5 posts were needed. Finally, in 2025, a post review was conducted that said 50 posts were needed to secure a 101-person population.
“We’re figuring out a way to move our chess pieces around the board with the 88 [personnel] that were provided to us back in 2013. In that 2013 staffing analysis, it said that we are required to have 98 [personnel], but we’re only going to make you have 88, and you can cover the other 10 with part-time or overtime,” Sheriff LaFarr explained.
“I’ve said this before: we have overtime that’s built into our staffing, so we know that we’re always going to have some overtime. That affects morale. In the beginning, people get a little extra money. It’s great. But when you’re forced on holidays and you can’t get home to your family, the overtime wears you down,” Sheriff LaFarr said.
The Warren County Correctional Facility has the ability to hold 156 inmates, with the potential for more with double bunking. As of today, the county is housing roughly 107 inmates. At a committee meeting last week, Queensbury Supervisor at-Large Michael Wild preached caution with cutting positions, stressing the importance of maintaining services and putting officers at risk.
When the Great Meadow Correctional Facility closed in November 2024, Warren County hired 10 correctional officers who were dismissed due to the prison’s closure. However, Sheriff LaFarr adds that retaining and hiring new employees in this field has become a significant challenge. “Those employees are no longer available for hire. We’re at a point now where we have a couple vacancies at corrections, and we don’t have a pool of employees or candidates to start hiring, so we are trending back in the direction of having our difficulties with recruitment,” he said.
Stony Creek Town Supervisor John O’Neill explained he didn’t see a need to reduce positions at the facility, but that there was a shortage of staff.
Speaking on both the difficulty of hiring and the possibility of cuts, Sheriff LaFarr concluded, “If I can’t figure out how to do this, everyone that gets arrested that has to wait to go before a judge now has to be secured by police officers — one, maybe two. Those police officers should be out in the field. They should be out tending to public safety, and they may be sitting inside securing someone that’s been arrested. We’ve not gotten to the point where we have to make that decision.”
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