Onondaga Co. Sheriff Shelley reacts to tragic news in North Carolina

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — North Carolina’s tragic news hits close to home for our local law enforcement as they continue to mourn the loss of Syracuse Police Officer Michael Jensen and Onondaga County Sheriff’s Lieutenant Michael Hoosock.

“We’re holding up fine. We just keep moving. It’s all we can do,” said Sheriff Toby Shelley, Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff Shelley is keeping a close on his deputies, mourning their fallen brothers in blue.

“Following April 14th I watched the number of people in our jails very closely and I saw a sharp decline right after that which told me that the police had taken their foot off the gas,” said Sheriff Shelley.

Fast forward to now, Shelley says the numbers have gone back to where they normally would be, as deputies slowly recover.

“We’ve had one break in 21 years. One day we shut this office down in 21 years, so that one day they needed,” said Sheriff Shelley.

The sheriff’s office is also providing resources to its deputies, with a part-time Chaplin and a peer-to-peer program.

“There’s 12 people of various ranks from Captain to Deputy, part of that peer to peer program, the people that need help we’re coordinating that whether its employee assistance through the county, whether it’s looking for help through another agency, Clear Path or whatever,” said Sheriff Shelley.

What’s unfolding now in North Carolina, the tragedy seems all too familiar for Sheriff Shelley.

“Hootch and Jensen were responding to just such a routine call, you know what I mean, so that obviously heightened everybody’s awareness. Nothing is routine in what we do,” said Sheriff Shelley.

“When I was detective in 1999 – 2000, I worked in the Fugitive Task Force with the U.S. Marshall’s Office. So that group from what I understand responded in Charlotte, that’s the group I was part of here. So we still have members that are part of that task force,” said Sheriff Shelley.

As of right now, the sheriff’s office is still unsure whether or not it will send its deputies to North Carolina for the services, but Sheriff Shelley says he’s not ruling it out.

Syracuse Police says as of right now, the department does not plan on sending any of its officers to the services in North Carolina.