May 12, 2003

New sheriff reinvents office

Editor's note: This is the second of a two-part series examining the performance of Sheriff Carl DuBois after four months in office. Today's article focuses on the physical changes DuBois has brought to the office as well as his evolving political role.

By Brendan Scott
Times Herald-Record

Goshen – Chief Deputy Richard Onorati extended a long black-shirted arm and pushed open the door to the sheriff's conference room.

In the past, the chief set himself apart from the rank-and-file by wearing a white uniform under his six-pointed star. That's until Sheriff Carl DuBois told him to fall in line and don the deputy black.

"Uniformity," Onorati said, as he lead reporters into the room. "That's the name of the game now."

A subtle shift, no doubt.

But – four months into the DuBois regime – the chief's costume change is just one of many visible differences around the Orange County Sheriff's Office as the neophyte sheriff attempts to replace its reputation as a haven of old-boy politics to that of a professional law enforcement agency.

Since Jan. 1, DuBois has shaken up the deputy staff, overhauled the office's command structure and filled the long-vacant jail administrator slot. He's extended the civil division's office hours, recalled dozens of controversial courtesy tins and made efforts to cut the office's infamous overtime costs.

The retired Middletown police lieutenant has also revealed ambitions beyond reform. He wants to buy a $1 million firing range. He's coordinating the region's counter-terrorism effort, Operation Lockdown. And he's combining the road division's entry team and the jail's riot squad into one all-purpose force.

"It's a whole new world around here," the sheriff told some visitors from the state Correction Commission one recent morning. He stood with his hands on the hips of his pin-striped slacks and flashed a grin underneath his Wyatt Earp mustache.

DuBois smiles a lot these days. Perhaps, because he knows it's hard to confuse his sheriff's office with that of Frank Bigger, whom he upset in the Republican primary.

For much of his 10-year-reign, Bigger was dogged by allegations of poor management and political favoritism. Few of the charges stuck in the end, but it appears Orange County voters wanted a controversy-free sheriff's office.

DuBois promised to make that happen. And while most say it's too early to judge his success, leaders from both sides of the political aisle seem pleased with what they see.

Top brass appointed by DuBois are at least a generation younger than Bigger's inner circle. These guys are history buffs and rock 'n' roll fans. And on sunny days, it's not unusual to hear the Rastafarian rhythms of Bob Marley wafting from the office of Undersheriff Kenneth T. Jones.

"Marley is God," he explains when asked.

DuBois, however, calls himself a Rolling Stones fan. He counts the "Bridges to Babylon" tour as his favorite concert.

Some seem impressed with the change of atmosphere at the office. But most political leaders say the new sheriff could avoid failure simply by avoiding further controversy. And by entering office as a Republican outsider with little political history, he enjoys the position – or at least the perception – of having few political ties.

"I'll give him the benefit of the doubt," said county Legislator Jeffrey Berkman, D-Middletown, who's known DuBois for 30 years. "Carl comes into the sheriff's office in opposition to most people in his own political party. It's my hope that will give him a measure of independence."

That's why cost-conscious legislators have refrained from criticizing some of DuBois' more ambitious ideas, like buying the firearms range. DuBois has only extended his honeymoon with monthly briefings at legislative committees and occasional phone calls to lawmakers.

Since the election, even the Republicans who supported Bigger during last year's tumultuous race have embraced the clean-slate reformer from small-town Mount Hope. Take it from Goshen lawyer William DeProspo. He backed Bigger and wants to wrest control of the county Republican Party from Chairman John Hicks. Hicks supported DuBois.

"[DuBois] strikes me as a committed person who's not afraid of innovation," DeProspo said. "He's doing a commendable job."

DuBois' team-player approach seems also to have smoothed the sheriff's relationship with local police agencies, who have sometimes locked horns with the sheriff's office in turf disputes. The police chiefs have asked the sheriff to coordinate the county's counter terrorism response. And there's talk of letting the county house a centralized arrest database for local police agencies.

"He's gotten the message out, and I think he's sincere," said Goshen village Chief Jim Watt.

It's not just back-patting, says Hicks, the Republican chairman. To him, DuBois is completing the sheriff's transition from a bastion of politics and patronage to an apolitical, professional post, like the county clerk.

Says Hicks: "He's a Republican, but he's not a hack."