CHENANGO COUNTY — “Being in law enforcement is in my family,” said Chenango County Sheriff’s Deputy Chad O’Hara. “I knew I always wanted to do it.”

O’Hara has spent nearly five years with the Chenango County Sheriff’s Office and was awarded “Deputy of the Year” in 2012.

I was provided the opportunity to spend a shift with O’Hara on Saturday.

Arriving as instructed at 3:47 p.m., I was prepared to observe O’Hara’s law enforcement duties for his entire shift.

He first gave me a tour of the patrol area within the facility, and I met his Sergeant and a couple of his co-workers. O’Hara then grabbed the necessary items he needed for at least eight hours on the roads and we entered his vehicle.

O’Hara has a K-9, currently on sabbatical, so the dog was not with us Saturday. I had also previously informed the Road Patrol Lieutenant Richard Cobb that I was scared of dogs.

Upon entering the SUV, I realized that I would not enjoy to be in the backseat as an arrested individual. The dog’s area is directly behind the passenger seat, and an arrested person would sit behind the deputy. There is a blockage of sorts between the deputy and the person taken into custody, and between the person in the backseat and the K9.

O’Hara then checked to make sure he had everything he needed and we pulled away. He was to cover the northern portion of the county that night. Other deputies were assigned the south and central zones.

The CCSO patrol vehicles cover 911 square miles of Chenango County.

O’Hara was set to work the 4 p.m. to midnight shift.

Not long after being on the road, the in-vehicle radar spotted a vehicle traveling over the posted speed limit. O’Hara had instructed me in the beginning to be prepared for quick and sharp turns, and he wasn’t joking.

Once the vehicle was pulled over, I remained in the passenger seat as he approached with his flashlight. He touched the brake light, shined his flashlight into the vehicle, and then began discussion with the driver.

The driver admitted to knowing she was speeding. In the process of the traffic stop, a New York State Trooper pulled up behind us.

When I asked O’Hara as to the reasoning behind that, he explained it is common for a member of another law enforcement agency to stop as a courtesy to make sure everything is okay.

The driver was given a verbal warning and she went on her way.

We carried out two other traffic stops, where one of the drivers was issued a uniform traffic ticket for speeding.

Throughout our drive there was quite a bit of quiet time. O’Hara explained the beginning of winter tends to be a little slower, with the exception of vehicle vs. deer calls.

“Once winter sets in, we get a lot of domestic dispute calls,” said O’Hara. He explained that domestic dispute calls are one of the most common calls the CCSO receives and are not restricted to the season, time of day or location.

During our travels toward Lincklaen — part of O’Hara’s territory — he explained to me one of the main purposes of a sheriff’s office: to serve civil papers. Of course other purposes include but are not limited to providing a jail for the county, road patrol and sex offender checks.

A sex offender check was taken care of while I was with the deputy. We arrived at the residence the individual reported, and O’Hara was to make sure that is where the person did indeed reside. While the sex offender was not home at the time, it was verified it was his residence.

“There are times when they (sex offenders) provide an address that is fake,” said O’Hara. “Or, they move and fail to notify the Undersheriff, which they are supposed to do.”

Upon completion of the sex offender check, and with no other calls for O’Hara to head to anywhere else, we delved into what got him into law enforcement. He said he has multiple family members who are in the same line of work: uncles, cousins, and other relatives. One relative was a State Trooper who was killed in the 1950s.

O’Hara said before becoming a deputy he had his own business.

“But then, the opportunity came about to get involved with law enforcement, so here I am,” said O’Hara. “I love what I do.”