PARIS – After nearly two months of being sheriff, Wayne Gallant is shifting his employees around to increase visibility in the community and accountability within the department.

Gallant, along with Chief Deputy Dane Tripp, aims to achieve these goals without increasing the department’s payroll.

Sgt. Tim Ontengco praised the changes.

“He’s looking at the big picture and looking at how to use the manpower we have,” he said.

Along with realigning the road patrol supervisors, Gallant has hired a new school resource officer and is reviewing bids on new cruisers.

The sheriff is experimenting with taking Lt. Christopher Wainwright off supervising the road patrol, and instead having him focus on criminal investigations with Lt. Hart Daley, who is overburdened with cases, Gallant explained to county commissioners Tuesday.

Daley will focus on crimes against people, such as sexual abuse and domestic issues.

Wainwright will focus on property crimes, such as thefts. Cracking down on property crime was one of Wainwright’s platforms in his unsuccessful run for sheriff last year.

The change in position will require Wainwright to be on the road more, investigating cases and conducting interviews. Wainwright is on vacation this week, thus unavailable for comment, although Tripp said he seemed happy with the change.

“He’s still a lieutenant, and still a supervisor,” Gallant told commissioners.

This is a temporary change, and if it works out it may be made permanent.

County commissioners appointed Wainwright as head of road patrol in 2005, with the stipulation that he also be out on the road. In 2006, he took over the chief deputy’s duties, and formally held the title for a few months.

“He never actually did the job,” Tripp said. “Then we had three sergeants not being sergeants.”

The seven deputies will report directly to shift sergeants Ontengco, Matthew Baker and Tim Holland, and sometimes Cpl. Chancey Libby. Now, Gallant said, they can perform the supervisory duties they were hired for.

If a serious situation arises, they will contact the “officer of the day,” a concept Gallant is implementing where he, Tripp, Daley and Wainwright will rotate weeks on call to respond at any time.

Sgt. Ontengco said these changes will help allocate duties with the department’s limited manpower.

For him, the job won’t change things much. He will spend a couple more hours a shift doing administrative work in the office where he would have been out on the road.

Ontengco agreed that the county could benefit from more criminal investigators.

“There hasn’t been a day I’ve walked into Lt. Daley’s office where he hasn’t been typing away,” he said.

Department officials are looking for a new road patrol deputy. Former patrol Deputy Josh Wyman was hired as the school resource officer for Sacopee Valley High School in Hiram.

Wyman has been filling in after Tripp was named chief deputy.

Tripp said they have received 12 applications for the post, and narrowed it down to five. All of those being considered work for other police departments.

Other changes Gallant has made in the department since taking office Jan. 1 include switching to a nonlethal weapon and, instead of replacing five cruisers with Crown Victorias, the current standard, he is putting out bids for SUVs.

Gallant got the bids back Tuesday, is reviewing them and will make a decision by next month’s county commissioners meeting.

He is switching cars around in the force, putting cars driven by him and the chief deputy into the fleet and taking over older cars.

Overall, Gallant and Tripp are pushing accountability and professionalism in the department.

“We are taking accountability seriously, so we can know where people are at all times,” Gallant said.

INFO BOX:

Department roster

PARIS – The following roster of full-time personnel in the Oxford County Sheriff’s Department patrol division reflects some changes in assignments announced Tuesday to commissioners:

Sheriff Wayne Gallant

Chief Deputy Dane Tripp

Lt. Hart Daley, investigating crimes against people

Lt. Christopher Wainwright, investigating crimes against property

Sgt. Tim Holland, patrol shift supervisor

Sgt. Tim Ontengco, patrol shift supervisor

Sgt. Matthew Baker, patrol shift supervisor

Cpl. Chancey Libby, MDEA liaison and patrol shift supervisor, as needed

Deputy Justin Brown, patrol

Deputy Brian Landis, patrol

Deputy Michael Halacy, patrol

Deputy Josh Wyman, school resource officer

Deputy Chris Davis, patrol

Deputy Tom Harriman, patrol

Deputy William Nelson, patrol