Orange County Sheriff-elect George Contois will take office on Feb. 1. But last week, he got sick of waiting.
“This morning, I’ve decided to take control of the Department’s needs,” Contois, a part-time deputy in the department, wrote to the office’s full staff last Saturday. “Having had absolutely no response for a transition short of ‘Good Luck,’ I am assuming command.”
The move didn’t go over well with Bill Bohnyak, the current sheriff. By Wednesday, he’d suspended Contois’ department email.
Emails obtained in a public records request unveil a tumultuous transition inside the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. The sheriff-elect, dissatisfied with the assistance he’s received from Bohnyak, attempted to take control of the department. Meanwhile, swirling rumors of mass resignations, potential layoffs and nixed patrol contracts have both management and rank-and-file members looking over their shoulders.
In November, Bohnyak lost his reelection bid to Contois by 100 votes, ending his more than 15-year tenure. Bohnyak requested a recount, which confirmed the results. Due to his loss, he will step down as president of the National Sheriffs’ Association.
Internal communications show several weeks of frustration leading up to Contois’ decision to try to prematurely assume power. He broke the news of his planned takeover to his “command staff” on Saturday morning.
“In short, I’m taking control of the Department with or without Sheriff Bohnyak. He’s resisted if not impeded any transition while I sat in the back seat idle,” Contois wrote. “Gentlemen we need to put on our ‘big boy pants’ and get on with the business of guiding your subordinates. If we are to survive, and we will not only survive but thrive, I need your support as do the deputies under your leadership.”
Four hours later, Contois fired off an email to the full staff.
“I have waited long enough, sitting in the back seat since the infamous recount. I have reached out to Sheriff Bohnyak to no avail and therefore you should know that I am in charge as Sheriff Elect by your County,” Contois wrote.
“We are in a crisis undoubtedly and require cooperation if we are to see it through,” he continued. “There are some of you looking for other employment or have already found such. I feel certain that this is a mistake.”
The exact extent of those searching for new employment is not clear. But internal emails suggest the situation could be dire.
On Dec. 7, Scott Clouatre, the department captain on whom Contois has relied for leadership, informed the sheriff-elect about staffing woes.
“Deputies are still aggressively looking for employment elsewhere and before long we will not have the staff to continue contract coverage in the capacity that we have been,” Clouatre wrote. “Even losing one Deputy throws coverage short (I covered nights all weekend in the village this past weekend due to the loss of even one deputy). If we start to lose anymore (which is projected), contracts will begin to suffer.”
Others, flustered by Contois’ plans for the office and rumors about changes in departmental duties, reached out to their soon-to-be boss about their concerns.
“With all due respect, I don’t know there will be much of a Fort to hold down come February 1st,” Daniel Brunelle, a member of the department, wrote to Contois last week. “We may only have enough deputies to cover the court schedule after the 1st of February.”
“If my working life is relegated to working court shifts or working 60-70 hours per week trying to fill Village shifts because we no longer have adequate (or appropriate) staffing,” Brunelle continued, “then I have to consider other options, to include leaving Law Enforcement altogether.”
Joshua Macura, a sergeant in the department, sent a message to Contois — with the entire staff copied on the email — asking what changes to expect and requesting additional transparency.
“You are asking everyone to hold the line and stay on board, chastising Sheriff Bohnyak for a limited response,” Macura wrote, “but you can’t seem to answer simple questions about things you have been rumored to have said, yet instruct everyone to believe nothing of what they hear.”
In his message, Macura sought to determine whether he could expect a job come Feb. 1, referencing a rumor that the sheriff-elect had told staff he planned to let Macura go.
“With your 50 years of being in this business, the last thing I would have expected to hear was you threatening anyone who was looking to leave,” Macura continued.
Messages between the current sheriff and sheriff-elect indicate Contois sought Bohnyak’s help with the transition but was met with silence.
“I’m tired of this rabble and want to sit with you and gain from your experience,” Contois wrote to Bohnyak on Dec. 8 in what appeared to be his first request for assistance from the current sheriff. “Things will undoubtedly get worst before they get better. I want to try to make things better for everyone and your help would be greatly appreciated.”
Bohnyak did not appear to reply to the message.
In an interview, Bohnyak said that he had been “quiet” regarding the transition, and that the sheriff’s department has been “running smoothly since the election.”
“All patrols are being taken care of, all complaints are being responded to,” he said, adding that “hopefully the sheriff-elect will carry on our work.”
Locked out of his department email, Contois said in an interview that he does not have any contact with sheriff’s office staff at the moment. He’s currently in Arizona with his wife and plans to return to Vermont in mid- to late January, he said.
Contois declined to comment on what led to his attempt to take control of the department before he is sworn in Feb. 1, and what services may or may not be provided by the sheriff’s department under his leadership.
Asked whether, despite the turmoil, he would still like to work with Sheriff Bohnyak to help with the transition, his thoughts were clear: “Absolutely.”