ELMIRA, N.Y. (WETM) – Two new deputies are now part of the Chemung County Sheriff’s Office, after being sworn in at the Hazlett Building in Elmira. Both men are graduates from Horseheads High School. For both men, law enforcement runs in their families.
The Sheriff’s Office says 31-year-old Justin Young previously worked as a Correction Officer at the Chemung County Jail from 2019-2020. Before joining the Sheriff’s Office, Young was working for the Salt Plant in Watkins Glen.
“How did it feel to get sworn in today?” asked 18 News reporter Nicolas Dubina.
“It felt very well, bee a long time waiting and can’t wait to see the next chapter.
“Was it a long journey? When did you first want to become a deputy sheriff?”
“It runs in the family. So, it’s always been there, and it’s quite the process” said Young. “It starts off with a written civil service exam, and then you do a physical fitness test and then the long-awaited background investigation, there are multiple steps to that, and then soon after that, it takes off.”
“If I may ask, who in your family is also part of law enforcement?” Dubina asked.
“I have a retired PD and current member of the sheriff’s office Lieutenant John Smith, my brother-in-law” said Young.
The Sheriff’s Office says 20-year-old Andrew Demuth was working for the Heavy Equipment Operator’s Union before joining the Sheriff’s Office.
“How did it feel to get sworn in today?”
“Immeasurable, and especially my dad doing it,” said Demuth. “The last 27 years he’s been in law enforcement, and he’s been in the Sheriff’s Office since 1999. Having him you know, pin me and do all that, and my brother, who’s a current law enforcement office in Owego, you know, my dad doing that was definitely immeasurable.”
The new deputies will not be patrolling the streets just yet. Starting Monday March 27th, both men will spend 6 to 9 months training at the Broome County Law Enforcement Academy. If they graduate, they will spend an additional 12 weeks of on-the-job training after being paired with a veteran deputy.
Chemung County Undersheriff Douglas Houper told 18 News the two new deputies bring the department’s staff to nearly full level. Houper says the Sheriff’s Office currently has a total of 42 deputies. However, 5 deputies, including Young and Demuth, are still training in the academy and not out in the field. 23 deputies are usually assigned to the Sheriff’s road patrol division. Because 5 of them are in the academy, there are currently 18 deputies patrolling the roads of Chemung County.
