Note: This letter is in response to an earlier post found HERE.
Karl, I cannot help but notice that your current press
release is less than 24 hrs after the polls close and here you are kicking the
Sheriff in the shin again. "I'm
upset". Well this time you have
incurred my wrath. Your arrogance is
only exceeded by your ignorance. As a
grandparent raising a grandson with severe autism I take offense to your
flippant attitude towards those people who have disabilities. My grandson has a tendency to wander. If he went missing I really don't care if the
Sheriff, a deputy or a corrections officer respond. Hell, I would want them ALL to respond. Your assumption that a crime may have been
committed certainly highlights your ignorance of those with developmental
disabilities.The vast majority of wandering cases DO NOT INVOLVE A CRIME. What
they all have in common is the fact that time is critical. Every minute that passes enlarges the search
area, making it more difficult to find the lost person. Sixteen years ago I had no idea what autism was. Because of my grandson, I had to become an
expert on the subject in order to advocate for him and others like him. I became certified to teach classes on
emergency response to individuals with developmental disabilities. I have taught this class over the past 12
years all across NY, including the Allegany County Sheriffs Office, CO's,
Deputies. Supervisors and Dispatchers. Karl, I thought maybe you had blinders on most of the time,
however I have discovered with each passing press release that it is worse than
that. You need to reach into your back
pockets, grab ahold of your shoulders and bring your head into the daylight. You care more about a political dogfight than
you do about your constituents (people with developmental disabilities are a
part of your constituency). Your
infatuation with kicking the Sheriff in the shin has you narrowly focusing on
smaller details while you overlook the bigger picture.
You owe your constituents an apology on Project Lifesaver. You (not the Sheriff) need to correct this issue immediately. You seem to have the DCJS number, so use it. Get this program back on YOUR plate and do the right thing. You also need to better educate yourself about the people you serve who have disabilities. Go see Mike Damiano at Allegany ARC. Spend time with him to learn what they do and what challenges these people and their families go thru EVERY DAY!Lastly Karl, let me quote a man near and dear to my heart. Mickey lived by the premise that you don't need me as your friend, but you sure as hell cannot afford me as your enemy.
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UPDATE: Graves responds-
To: Dan Martelle
You owe your constituents an apology on Project Lifesaver. You (not the Sheriff) need to correct this issue immediately. You seem to have the DCJS number, so use it. Get this program back on YOUR plate and do the right thing. You also need to better educate yourself about the people you serve who have disabilities. Go see Mike Damiano at Allegany ARC. Spend time with him to learn what they do and what challenges these people and their families go thru EVERY DAY!Lastly Karl, let me quote a man near and dear to my heart. Mickey lived by the premise that you don't need me as your friend, but you sure as hell cannot afford me as your enemy.
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UPDATE: Graves responds-
To: Dan Martelle
I apologize for my desire to see things done in a reliable,
dependable, reasonable and defensible “in court” manner. What you don’t know is
that I have a granddaughter that qualifies for this service. Are you now
implying that I’m insensitive enough to deny my own grandchild this
service? If it’s going to be done – it
needs to be done right. Lives – LIVES –
depend on it. You can call all 47,500 of us and without the right tools – what
will be the result? Most likely a catastrophe!
The ball is in the Sheriff’s court. It has been all along. He needs to hear from
you. He refuses to work with me. He needs to re-propose this in a manner that
makes sense. The State Police – whether
you or anyone else likes it or not – are a part of our law enforcement family.
There are 40 or more highly trained men and women stationed out of Belvidere.
They are providing us with 24 hour coverage county wide! How can you imply or think that it doesn’t
make sense to involve them? How about Wellsville PD? Should we leave them out
too?
I know something about what it takes to relive a person from
a post in the jail. It takes time. If
someone says it’s easy and can be done lightning fast – someone in authority
there – the jail is overstaffed and we need to take a look at that. The state
frowns on – the same as a hospital does – short staffing the jail because of
outside activities.
The timeline you refer to is someone else’s fault. They are
the ones with the nasty posts on Facebook - not me. Enough is enough! For your
edification I’m talking with the main poster and I think he now understands the
situation better than previously.
You are a logical person and I have always respected you.
You know who I am and where I live. You know or at least I believe you know how
to contact me. I have also always treated you with respect and I would have
liked to have been treated by you in the same manner. Your rant was uncalled for and unfitting – as
far as I am concerned – an educated member of the Wellsville community.
I will not respond further in this manner. The public does
not need to undergo this type of interrogatory.
I care little if you approve or disapprove of my comments. If they
offend you that much – and apparently they do – I recommend that you discontinue
reading them. That is the best remedy I
can offer.
Sincerely,
Karl Graves
