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THE COUNTY IS DISTINCT FROM THE SHERIFF, AND THE SHERIFF IS DISTINCT FROM THE SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT, ONLY THE SHERIFF IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE HIRING AND TRAINING OF SHERIFF’S DEPUTIES, THEREFORE THE INJURED INMATE’S ACTION AGAINST THE COUNTY FOR NEGLIGENT HIRING, TRAINING, SUPERVISION AND RETENTION OF SHERIFF’S DEPUTIES WAS PROPERLY DISMISSED (FOURTH DEPT).

The Fourth Department determined the action against the county stemming from the injuries and death suffered by plaintiff’s decedent in the Erie County Holding Center was properly dismissed. The court held that the county is separate from the sheriff’s department, which in turn is separate from the sheriff. The county is not responsible for the hiring and training of sheriff’s deputies, which is only the sheriff’s responsibility. Therefore the negligent hiring, training, supervision and retention cause of action against the county was not viable:

The duty to supervise and train Sheriff’s deputies rests with the Sheriff (… County Law § 652). … [T]he County has no similar duty … . Defendants in this case therefore met their initial burden on the motion by establishing that the County was not liable under the theory stated in plaintiff’s fourth cause of action. …

We reject plaintiff’s … contention that the County’s representation that the Erie County Sheriff’s Department lacked a separate legal identity from the County estops the County from contending that it is not the employer of the Sheriff’s deputies. The County correctly stated that “the Sheriff’s Department does not have a legal identity separate from the County . . . and thus an action against the Sheriff’s Department is, in effect, an action against the County itself”… . The Sheriff, however, is distinct from both the County and the Sheriff’s Department  … and thus the County’s representation has no bearing on whether the Sheriff, as opposed to the County, bears the responsibility of hiring, training, and supervising the Sheriff’s deputies. Metcalf v County of Erie, 2019 NY Slip Op 05265, Fourth Dept 6-28-19

 

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