Robert Burns joined the Wayne
County Sheriff's Department in 1948 after transferring from the
Newark Police Department.
Sheriff Burns held the position
of Deputy Sheriff until 1952, at which time he was promoted to the
rank of Chief Deputy, a post which he held until being elected Wayne
County Sheriff in 1957.
During the years of 1957 - 1967
when Sheriff Burns held the reigns of the county agency, the changes
made can still be seen. The Sheriff's Road Patrol was enlarged to
provide twenty four hour police protection to the citizens of Wayne
County, and in 1966 patrols cars with the present color scheme of red
and white were introduced. It should also be noted that the red and
white design is the color format used by the New York State Sheriff's
Association, Sheriff Burns played a large role in development of the
red and white design in that during the years of 1965-66 he was
president of the Association. To this day with the exception of 7
counties in the State, Sheriff vehicles are painted red and white.
In 1959, Sheriff Burns attended
and graduated from the Federal Bureau of Investigation's National
Academy, an advanced course in all phases of police work, which is
held at the Marine Corps Base located in Quantico, Virginia. Upon the
Sheriffs' return, he established a pistol range at the Wayne County
Jail, patterned after a F.B.I. range, it is considered to be one of
the best in the Upstate New York Region,
During the years of 1959-60,
Sheriff Burns saw construction and completion of the new Wayne County
Jail on Route 31 in the Town of Lyons, retiring the old jail which
had over a century of service, Sheriff Burns retired in 1967 after
serving 19 years with the county agency. His merits and
accomplishments will not be forgotten. Robert W. Burns, a dedicated
professional police officer,