6/27/2012 - As of about a month ago several sources stated that a formerly resigned investigator for the Yates County Sheriff’s Department was rehired as an internal affairs officer. Per all past county employee records and other sources discoverable this position has never been a position in the Yates County Sheriff’s Department. An email has been sent to H. Taylor Fitch for his response to the initial hiring and subsequent termination of the employee and or the position as it seems not to even have been approved by the county.

Mr. Fitch’s response;

“I am in receipt of your email on the internal affairs officer. After investigation I find your information on an internal affairs officer is inaccurate and unfounded. Both the Sheriff and the Highway Superintendent have line items that permit them to hire occasional part-time positions as needed. They do not need legislative approval to do so as the approval was already given when the budget was adopted. The Public Health Director also has this leeway when the County operated a certified home health agency.”

In a response to Mr. Fitch I requested his opinion on what line item it was that allowed for the hiring of an internal affairs officer. It is customary that positions for the county are filled by using a civil service list of qualified candidates. A second question was if such a test was given was that candidate hired from this list. All valid questions. A FOIL request was made to the Yates County Personnel Office related to how this position was filled and why, if it be the case, was it just eliminated.

7/1/2012 - In a brief response from Mr Fitch he stated that, "The termination was the unfounded part."

Mr. Fitch,

Thank you for your reply. Is it my understanding that according to what you have stated so far the sheriff himself can create a titled job that as far as I have read back of the minutes of the Yates County legislature did not exist. Hire someone for it and pay for it by "approval" of the general 2012 Yates County budget? I did ask what line item the money came from that you spoke of. I also asked if there was supposed to be a civil service test for the position. If this position is all properly filled that is what people want to know. However at this point many do not believe that is the case.

Wilson Simmons
Yates County Gazette

Can anyone enlighten us on the Job Description of the Internal Affairs Officers, and why is that job needed now?

Believe it or not, informing the public (taxpayers) about the inner workings of the government will put the government in a positive light. Not informing us makes it appear the the government is trying to hide something.

Transparency works.

Can anyone enlighten us on the Job Description of the Internal Affairs Officers, and why is that job needed now?

Believe it or not, informing the public (taxpayers) about the inner workings of the government will put the government in a positive light. Not informing us makes it appear the the government is trying to hide something.

Transparency works.

I guess we will all need to contact our legislature representatives. Seems it is OK with Mr. Fitch that a title gets created and a person gets hired. As best I can tell this was an appointment by the sheriff after an employee just retired from investigator. I was hoping Mr. Fitch would clear it all up for me and or the Yates County personnel office. I did request information under the freedom of information act. I am still waiting for a second response from Mr. Fitch regarding which line item an IA officer's money came from.

[quote=McLovin']Can anyone enlighten us on the Job Description of the Internal Affairs Officers, and why is that job needed now?

Believe it or not, informing the public (taxpayers) about the inner workings of the government will put the government in a positive light. Not informing us makes it appear the the government is trying to hide something.

Transparency works.

I heard thru the grapevine that the Deputies Union objected to the part time position being "created", I think it comes under an "exclusivity" rule meaning that a job like that was always done by a union employee and the county would have to negotiate the creation of such a part time position.

Taylor Fitch's explanation above would apply to the Sheriff hiring certain part time people to fill positions that previously existed. I don't believe the Sheriff can create a new position such as "part time investigator" and fill it without prior creation of the position.