Striving to do things `exactly right' Sheriff Larry Cleveland runs his department with single-minded dedication.(Capital Region)

Byline: LEIGH HORNBECK Staff Writer {FACTBOX} BIOGRAPHY LARRY CLEVELAND Age: 52Family: Never married; no childrenSalary: $89,700First job: 1973-76, part-time patrolman with the Lake George Police DepartmentEducation: 1973, associate degree in police science, Adirondack Community College; 1975, bachelor's degree in sociology and criminal science, SUNY Brockport; 1991, master's degree in administration and leadership, SUNY Plattsburgh.Hobbies: Flies airplanes, co-owns camp on Schroon Lake

QUEENSBURY - Sheriff Larry Cleveland's nickname among the staff of the Warren County Sheriff's Department is "Monk," an allusion to both the fastidious TV detective and Cleveland's lifestyle.

The sheriff works 12-hour days, weekends and holidays. In the past year, one high-profile incident after another tested Cleveland and his department, but those closest to the sheriff say he relished the hard work.

"Larry is the type who has everything lined up all the time. You call him for something, he already knows the issue," said Bill Thomas of Johnsburg, chairman of the Board of Supervisors.

Last year, Cleveland's staff handled 17 motor vehicle deaths - almost triple a 13-year average; guided tractor-trailers backward along the Northway after a mudslide ripped the highway apart in Bolton in May; investigated four deaths during …