Sheriff candidate champions cooperation
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Department could better cooperate with its fellow law enforcement agencies to cut costs and keep citizens safer, a Republican candidate for county sheriff said Thursday.
Charles F. "Chuck" Ruggiero Jr. built a 24-year career in law enforcement with the military, advancing with "a lot of hard work" from game warden to chief of law enforcement at Fort Drum.
The Watertown resident said he has a unique set of credentials that makes him the best candidate to oversee law enforcement in a county that includes a major Army population.
"My military background and my tenure at Fort Drum will greatly serve the nature of the relationship between the Sheriff's Department and the military," he said.
Mr. Ruggiero, who served 22 years in the Army Reserve and National Guard, said he understands the particular stresses associated with military life.
"A lot of them come from an urban culture and bring with them their influences from those urban cultures. And sometimes, the clash of cultures — such as the values of the Los Angeles community — are out of sync with the cultures of the north country," he said. "As a result, there's a lack of understanding about backgrounds" from local law enforcement.
The candidate said that "clash of cultures" is no excuse for soldiers who commit crimes, but added that the benefits of Fort Drum, including its positive economic effect, "greatly outweigh any of the detrimental effects we may have in regard to crime and criminal activity that happens outside of the installation."
Mr. Ruggiero said he is well versed in state, federal and military law and boasts a "broader, more expansive knowledge" of the latter two than the county's current sheriff, Democrat John P. Burns.
As a part-time Cape Vincent police officer, the 60-year-old said he's noticed a lack of communication between the sheriff's office and the smaller town and village police departments.
The candidate, who will officially kick off his campaign Monday, said he will seek the Conservative and Independence parties' endorsement in addition to the GOP nomination. The conservatives ran their own candidate in 2006, while the Independence Party backed Mr. Burns.
Mr. Ruggiero described himself as a "fiscal conservative," and said he was troubled by the long-term effects of certain Sheriff's Department purchases made during Mr. Burns's tenure.
Boats, all-terrain vehicles and snowmobiles purchased with grant money may increase the department's patrol radius, he said, but "can diminish ability in other areas of enforcement," such as road patrols.
Mr. Ruggiero has never held elected office and said he did not know the best solution to every problem.
"Diversity of opinion is not an American weakness. It's an American strength," he said. "I value the opinions of people of all political persuasions, religious faiths and social backgrounds."
The candidate is offering everyone his personal e-mail address — ruggiero_charles@
hotmail.com — and his cell phone number: 222-5900.
"I'm not afraid to take their calls," he said. "They're not bothering me. They're informing me."
THE RUGGIERO FILE
■ Charles F. "Chuck" Ruggiero Jr.
/ Age: 60
/ Residence: Keyes Avenue, Watertown
/ Occupation: Cape Vincent police officer, part time, 2007 to present
/ Law enforcement experience: Aberdeen Proving Ground chief of police services, 2007 to 2009; Fort Drum Police, 1986 to 2007; served as federal game warden, police captain in charge of Police Academy, and deputy chief from 2003 to 2006 and chief of law enforcement from 2006 to 2007
/ Military: Army active duty, 1968-1971, including a stint in Vietnam; U.S. Army Reserve, 1973 to1974, 1989 to 1993; New York Air National Guard, 1984 to 1987, 1993 to 2004; Army National Guard, 1988-1989
/ Family: Wife Lisa A. L'Huillier, sons Charles F. III and John
/ Education: bachelor's degree in criminal justice, Empire State College, 2006
