PERSON: Craig Apple

State of New York

Sheriff of Albany County

Sheriff Craig D. Apple, Sr. Has served in the Albany County Sheriff’s Office since 1987, being elected Sheriff in 2011 in charge of all department operations with oversight of 748 employees and a $100 million operating budget.

During his years of public service as Sheriff of Albany County, he has implemented numerous programs at the Albany County Correctional Facility including the Sheriff’s Heroin Addiction Recovery Program (SHARP), the Soldier On program for veterans, the Steps To Adoption Readiness (STAR) program for animals in shelters, the Sheriff’s Inmate Fire Training (SHIFT) program to train inmates to become volunteer firefighters, and the Inmate Work Force Program and in 2020, he repurposed underutilized correctional space as a respite housing area for our local homeless population and created the Sheriff’s Homeless Improvement Program (SHIP). The sole purpose of the Sheriff’s Homeless Improvement Program (SHIP) is to lower recidivism rate and create an opportunity for individuals to be healthy and productive in society. He also began the practice of enrolling eligible inmates for the Affordable Healthcare Program, at a savings of half a million dollars annually.

In 2021, Sheriff Apple created a mental health crisis response unit, Albany County Crisis Officials Responding and Diverting (ACCORD), which partners alongside with EMS personnel and is used primarily for emergent mental health situations. The 2023 year brought a transformative milestone for the Albany County Sheriff’s Office, marked by the inauguration of their state-of-the-art 911 center. This cutting-edge facility symbolizes Sheriff Apple’s commitment to enhancing public safety through advanced infrastructure. The new E-911 center is a testament to progress, spanning an expansive 12,000 square feet and housing 37 positions. Sheriff Apple has since released the Albany County Interoperable Radio Network (ACRIN), with the simple mission of removing multiple disparate radio systems that had little to no availability for interoperable communications. This move to a single 800-radio system platform allows dispatch centers to back up each other and allow for seamless interoperable communications for public safety radio.

Sheriff Apple has served on the executive boards of the United Way and Soldier On and continues to serve for the Boys and Girls Club. He has been a member of the Selkirk Fire Department, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the International Counter Terrorism Officer’s Association, and the New York State Sheriff’s Association. He holds certifications from the New York State Law Enforcement Institute at John Jay Criminal College, the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, the United States Department of Justice FBI National Academy, and the New York State Corrections Academy. In 2023, Sheriff Apple served as the New York State Sheriffs’ Association President and currently has been appointed as the NYS representative to the National Sheriff’s Association board of directors.

He has placed a strong emphasis on serving the public and many of the life changing programs that he has implemented in his first three terms have drastically reduced recidivism and received statewide and national recognition. Sheriff Apple is currently serving his 4th term in office.

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