By: Eric M. Firkel
Olean Star
Based on early election results, the Olean Star is calling the election for Cattaraugus County Sheriff for Eric Butler. Butler, the acting Sheriff, handily defeated Democratic party challenger D.J. Whitmore, a retired U.S. Bureau of Prisons official.
Butler was undersheriff to Whitcomb for seven years before the former sheriff stepped down at the end of July after nearly 15 years as the county’s top law enforcement officer.
Prior to joining the Sheriff’s Department, Butler was a juvenile officer with the Salamanca Police Department. His first assignment with the Sheriff’s Department was as a school resource officer in the Salamanca Schools. He later succeeded Robert Crandall as Salamanca school board president.
As a member of the Sheriff’s Department, Butler served in the Criminal Bureau and with the narcotics unit and Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms. He was promoted to sergeant in 2003 and went back to the Criminal Bureau, served on the Seneca Allegany Casino detail and as supervisor of the Southern Tier Drug Task Force.
After being promoted to lieutenant in 2009, he went to the Road Patrol division. A year later, he was promoted to captain and took over as head of the E-911 Center. In 2017, he was named undersheriff by Whitcomb. As undersheriff, Butler was in charge of daily operations of each division, including the jail.
Looking forward, Butler noted challenges in recruiting new deputies and corrections officers, and tasked his undersheriff, Nate Root, with recruitment of deputies and corrections officers.
Butler also said that he will continue to improve conditions at the jail for both deputies and inmates. He said “we’ve made some changes at the jail,” Butler said. Chief among the changes is a new food vendor. By improving the quality of the food, attitudes in the jail are improving. The new vendor is increasing the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables in the meals. It’s improving the quality of life for inmates and officers, Butler said.
