Probation director reports contract consolidation, OVW grant reapplication and countywide victim-impact panel

Scott Grant, Allegany County probation director, told the Public Safety Committee on June 4 that the department sought and received authorization to combine two separate contracts with Catalyst, the vendor that provides the county’s probation pretrial software, into a single maintenance-and-hosting contract with a single mid-year renewal date. Grant said the consolidated contract remains within the 2025 budget and that the proposed change would simplify administration.

Grant also told the committee the probation department is preparing to reapply for a three-year Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) grant administered through the Department of Justice. The department said the federal portal reopened in late May after a pause and that the county has a short window to submit an application with a June 25 deadline. Grant described the grant as a 2025–2028 award that would fund OVW-related services and said the county is partnering with Accord as a pass-through partner for some funds; he noted staff have alerted the clerk and county attorney to expedite the application process.

Jessica McKnight presented a report on a countywide Stop-DWI victim-impact panel held on May 2 that targeted juniors and seniors at area schools. McKnight said organizers aimed to humanize the consequences of drunk and distracted driving through first-person testimonials and a mock crash presentation using the Emily Challenge trailer. Four presenters participated, including a retired New York State trooper, a school security officer, an EMS representative and a Steuben County dispatcher who lost her daughter in a 2019 crash and speaks publicly about the event’s aftermath. McKnight said the event included outreach to recruit students to volunteer with local fire and EMS services and that planning is already underway for next year’s mock crash rotation among participating agencies.

Grant also presented two small administrative items during the meeting: an MOE to accept and appropriate a donation for the Stop DWI program in the amount stated in the meeting record, and the committee carried the motion. Grant noted additional items may return to the committee next month for votes.