Forest County sheriff Bill Carbaugh says things have been going smoothly since he took over the job in January.
“I love the job and being part of the community,” said Carbaugh.
He added that he wants to carry on the various programs, contracted patrols and other initiatives that started under previous sheriff Bob Wolfgang, who chose not to seek re-election last year after a long tenure as sheriff.
He said the transition has been very smooth, and he attributed that to Wolfgang having everything in order and set up, including giving Carbaugh access to all the forms he had created for the department.
“I’m learning each day. I’m used to taking orders from the sheriff, not giving orders as sheriff,” Carbaugh said.
Going forward, Carbaugh said he plans to continue working closely with the county commissioners and the state sheriff’s association on issues as they arise.
Carbaugh said one of the biggest challenges facing the office is a lack of communication with other agencies.
But the radio systems can only communicate to other radios of the same type, a situation that has been going on for a long time, Carbaugh added.
While a “basic radio system” has always been used at the sheriff’s department, there is a push across the state to move to digital communications in the next few years, Carbaugh said.
Securing funding and navigating that switch is a project the county is working on, Carbaugh said.
Carbaugh, who has been in law enforcement for more than 20 years, began his career at the Venango County sheriff’s office when Gene Price was sheriff.
He left Venango County in 2006 and then went to work in the Forest County sheriff’s office.
“I was fortunate to be trained by one of the best sheriffs this commonwealth has ever seen,” Carbaugh said of Wolfgang, whom he described as a great friend and mentor.