Goshen, NY – Orange Sheriff’s Office Gets Badges Back From Suspect

Goshen, NY – Someone didn’t get the message that the Orange County Sheriff’s Office wants its courtesy shields back.

The feds last week returned three of the shields after they were recovered from a Brooklyn man, who’s charged with bribery of a public official and conspiracy to commit visa fraud.

The man is accused of paying thousands of dollars to John Nolan, a contract employee with the U.S. Labor Department, as part of a scam to help aliens in the U.S. evade immigration laws.

The man who is due in federal court Tuesday, is free on $5 million bond. His possession of the sheriff’s courtesy shields and identification cards isn’t a crime.

The shields began to be recalled in 2001, and when Sheriff Carl DuBois took office in 2003, he announced that any courtesy shields issued by previous administrations should be returned.

The shields had been a custom for decades, issued to “consultants” who volunteered services to the sheriff’s office or who worked in an auxiliary role, such as a chaplain.

“Any kind of identification — and keep in mind, it’s not just the shield, it’s the ID that was issued by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office — how far can people take it?” DuBois said. “That’s one of the big fears of counterterrorism — people identifying themselves as some kind of official.”

The pitfalls of the shields became apparent in 2000, when a Newburgh landlord was arrested after he “badged” a police officer who approached the landlord’s vehicle, which was in an area known for drug trafficking.

The landlord, Jimmy Ludlow, later pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct. District Attorney Frank Phillips, among other officials, said the shields were potentially risky.

An outside study of the sheriff’s office in 2001 by the New York law firm of Holland & Knight cited the shields as a potential liability.