New Captains Selected by Incoming Sheriff
With Sheriff-elect Robert Langley two weeks away from taking office, his transition team announced his five- person command staff last week.
After notifying the current captains in the department under Sheriff Don Smith last month that they wouldn’t be back once the new administration began on Jan. 1, Langley assembled his leadership team soon after, which includes the
first female captain in the department’s history. The five impending captains come from different law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, the Westchester County Department of Correction, the NYPD, the Putnam district attorney’s office, and the sheriff ’s office and all average about 25 years of experience, according to a press release from Langley’s transition team.
“I am very happy that we have assembled a command team with such deep and varied experience,” Langley said in a statement. “This is an incredible team that will elevate professionalism, raise standards, improve public safety, and return integrity to the department.”
Langley, a Democrat and former investigator, beat Sheriff Smith, the Republican incumbent, last month in a close election. A press release issued Friday revealed more about each new captain.
Leading the sheriff ’s bureau of criminal investigation is former FBI special agent Jon Jennings. Jennings served as acting supervisory agent of the FBI’s organized crime squad where he was the lead case agent on several multi-year investigations, including the Genovese Crime Family resulting in the prosecution of more than 100 defendants. He’s investigated everything from homicide and drug trafficking to racketeering and money laundering.
The new Putnam County jail captain is Kevin Cheverko, who is finishing up his tenure as Commissioner of the Westchester Department of Corrections. He is a 32-year corrections veteran, starting as a correction officer and rising through the ranks. Cheverko is in charge of the Westchester County jail, which is tenfold the size of Putnam’s, and oversaw several different programs.
The first female captain in the department’s history is Lisa Ortolano, who was selected to lead the civil division. She has more than 27 years of criminal and civil experience as a career prosecutor, defense attorney, and civil litigator. Ortolano used to work for the Putnam district attorney’s office under former top prosecutor Adam Levy. She was named the first assistant district attorney during her tenure with Levy. When Ortolano worked for the Bronx DA’s office, she was a supervisor in the criminal court bureau and deputy bureau chief leading more than 60 attorneys.
Former NYPD lieutenant Edward Swarm was picked to be the new road patrol captain. He started out as a patrol officer, then sergeant, and then was named lieutenant of detectives in the NYPD where he responded to major crimes and supervised 20 detectives. When he was a patrol supervisor, Swarm managed police officers and coverage.
Finally, James Babcock is the incoming communications captain and is the sole member of Langley’s command team to previously serve in the sheriff’s department where he worked from 1993 to 2016. During his tenure, he was promoted to sergeant in 2008 and then in 2011 was picked for the position of criminal investigator.
“The Putnam County Sheriff ’s Office will be in good hands,” Langley said in the press release.
Running Langley’s transition team has been Jim Borkowski, the county’s Democratic Committee chairman and a former candidate for sheriff himself.
During a brief appearance in front of the county Legislature’s personnel committee on Dec. 11, Langley met with county lawmakers for the first time and gave them feedback about the direction he wants to take the department.
Langley said he wants to achieve national accreditation for the county jail, the civil division and the law enforcement division of the department. Certain requirements, rules and regulations must be met for accreditation, he said.
Langley also commended the legislature and County Executive MaryEllen Odell for pursuing a lawsuit against pharmaceutical companies that accuses the companies, in part, of causing the drug epidemic in the county and region.
“They need to answer for their acts,” Langley said.
To address the drug crisis in the county, Langley said he plans on implementing a treatment program within the county jail to help inmates that are addicted to drugs. He said when those addicts in jail aren’t treated, they repeat offend once released and are arrested again.
He also told legislators there are areas of the budget in the sheriff’s department that could be cut back to save taxpayers’ money. Necessary cuts will be made, Langley vowed, and he said he has further plans for the department that would be “financially adventitious” for the county.
“We have the same values as you do and I’m glad that you spoke to them,” Legislature Chairwoman Ginny Nacerino said. “We’re looking forward to working in concert with you to save the taxpayers in any way we can without comprising efficiencies or safety within our county.”
