OSWEGO, N.Y. -- Don Hilton has returned to his roots. He started his law enforcement career in 1987 as an Oswego County corrections officer. Now, he's back as the county sheriff. 

He took office on January 1st and hasn't wasted any time. His first goal is to get the jail's population down. 

"Diversion programs, opioid court, centralized arraignment court should cut population down," said Hilton. "And add a lot of programs, it's been hectic, we're working on it."

Hilton says he's applying for federal funding and changing staffing to pay for the programs. 

The life-long Hastings resident's career includes decades with the Syracuse police department and time in the Onondaga County district attorney's office.

Now that he's back home, Hilton has his community in mind. 

"Anybody who wants me, they can call me on my cell phone," said Hilton. "It's on all the time. Anybody who needs to speak to me can reach out. It's an open door, and I'm willing to speak to anybody who has a problem." 

Hilton knows he has ambitious goals, and he has already started to implement changs. He said the most important piece of advice he's gotten so far is to take it slow. 

"Slow down, take your time making decisions," said Hilton. "I wanted to rush in here right away and start changing things. We're just sitting back and observing for a while."

In the meantime, he's planning to hire more deputies, update equipment and improve morale. 

Don Hilton replaces Reuel Todd, who was sheriff for 20 years.