NORWICH - CHENTAC or the Chenango Threat Advisory Committee, is a multidisciplinary group, supported by the Chenango County Sheriff's office, and comprised of businesses, schools, social service agencies, mental health professionals, faith based organizations, community resources and local and state law enforcement.

Their mission is to be proactive in preventing potential acts of targeted violence and terrorism in the community. Since its establishment in 2023, around 100 Chenango County based businesses and organizations have joined the CHENTAC team.

CHENTAC Coordinator Wesley Mills, a retired state police officer of the Counterterrorism Intelligence Unit, was approached by the sheriffs department in 2023 to ask if he would head the county's Threat Assessment and Management (TAM) team.

At the time Governor Kathy Hochul had just mandated that each county develop one after the tragic shooting at a Tops Supermarket in Buffalo. After careful thought and deliberation he accepted, eventually creating the committee now known as CHENTAC. The CHENTAC team meets on the second Wednesday of every month in a space provided free of charge on SUNY Morrisville's Norwich campus.

“I don't care what side of the aisle you sit on politically, I think this is really one of the best things Governor Hochul has done,” said Mills.

CHENTAC is able to provide alternatives to investigation and-or prosecution, for bystanders seeking intervention with a known individual at risk of mobilizing to violence.