Capt. David Bentley

An “End of Watch” call went out this afternoon for Capt. David Bentley, a longtime member of the Sheriff’s Office who died Saturday while on Chautauqua Lake.

The call was broadcast by the Sheriff’s Office. It stated: “Capt. David Bentley has answered his last call and is now out of service. Captain, we thank you for your service to the County of Chautauqua and our country. You have served well and you will never be forgotten. Rest in peace our dear friend and brother, we’ll take it from here.”

Bentley, 62, of Jamestown, died Saturday after falling into the lake in the area of Martha’s Vineyard in the town of Ellery.

He was a 37-year veteran of the Sheriff’s Office and, at the time of his death, oversaw the patrol and special teams’ division, including the county SWAT and dive teams.

A lifelong county resident, Bentley began his career in law enforcement working for police departments in the village of Fredonia and town of Ellicott. He was hired by the Sheriff’s Office in 1985.

Bentley’s funeral will take place at 11 a.m. today at First Lutheran Church, 120 Chandler St., Jamestown. The Rev. Daniel Rumfelt, the Rev. Cameron Lienhart and the Rev. Joe Pascoe will be officiating. Burial will be at the Fluvanna Cemetery.

Visitation was held Thursday at Lind Funeral Home.

Sheriff James Quattrone said Bentley was known for putting in a lot of hours at work — proof he was still “doing what he loved.” Quattrone, hired by Bentley’s father who served as sheriff, said a lot of his training included Bentley.

“I’ve been saying it a lot, but he was a cop’s cop,” Quattrone said.

During his tenure at the Sheriff’s Office, Bentley was in charge of the SWAT team, was a firearms instructor and also taught numerous topics at the Sheriff’s Academy. He also was a graduate of the FBI National Academy.

Bentley is survived by his wife, Kim, children Erik and Kaitlyn, and his grandson Sawyer.

“Captain Bentley was well known not only in the Law Enforcement community but throughout the entire community,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a statement Sunday. “Captain Bentley was involved in training most of the active law enforcement in Chautauqua County as a range instructor and Field Training Officer. While he enjoyed the formal instruction, he was also a mentor to countless officers from many agencies throughout his career. Captain Bentley will be greatly missed but his memory and legacy will go on.”