May 29, 2002

2 police unions support Bigger's GOP rival

By Timothy O'Connor
Times Herald-Record

Town of Wallkill - Two state police unions yesterday offered a stinging rebuke of Sheriff Frank Bigger and endorsed his Republican rival for sheriff.

Challenger Carl DuBois, a retired Middletown police lieutenant, has "professionalism, integrity, character and accountability," said state police Investigator Kenneth Jones, who heads the state police Troop F's chapter of the 1,200-member New York State Police Investigators Association. His union, along with 5,900-member New York State Troopers Police Benevolent Association, endorsed DuBois yesterday over Bigger, who is a retired state police investigator.

The endorsements - which came just two days before the party's convention - mark the first time that either union has lent its weight to a candidate for Orange County sheriff.

Jones called Bigger a "former co-worker who was admired and respected."

But, he said, the sheriff "refuses to be held accountable for any error made." He then cited controversies that have dogged Bigger's two terms including a double-dipping scandal, the issuing of courtesy badges and a state attorney general's lawsuit.

"Sadly, these are just some of the incidents we question," he said.

Jones also noted two high-profile drunken driving cases that involved friends of the sheriff. In August 2000, Ricky Crown ran down and severely injured a Deerpark cop after leaving a party at the home of Bigger's daughter. In April, a Town of Deerpark council member called Bigger after being nabbed on charges of drunken driving. Bill Smith said he had been drinking in a park across from Bigger's home before he was arrested.

"His residence has become a launching pad for vehicular missiles," Jones said.

Gordon Warnock, who heads Troop F's chapter of the state troopers PBA, said Orange County no longer has "the luxury of a sheriff's office that is passively adequate." Controversies, he said, "flow like a swollen river from the current administration."

Bigger said he expects to gain the party's official endorsement at tomorrow night's convention. He took a shot at Jones, who acknowledges he is a possible choice for undersheriff should DuBois win. "The Investigators' Association is being used to advance the political aspirations of one of its members," Bigger said.

DuBois, buoyed by the strong endorsements, has vowed to fight to a September primary.