Sheriff Craig Apple

Sheriff - Albany County Sheriff's Office

heriff 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 over 800 employees and a $115 million operating budget. He leads a fully accredited agency across all disciplines, including Law Enforcement, Corrections, Emergency Management, EMS, and Telecommunications. Throughout his tenure, Sheriff Apple has emphasized rehabilitation, public health, and community engagement, implementing innovative programs such as 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 the 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 with EMS personnel and is used primarily for emergent mental health situations. He has placed a strong emphasis on public service, and many of the life-changing programs he has implemented over his four terms reflect this. He has significantly reduced recidivism while earning both statewide and national recognition. In June of 2024, Sheriff Apple was named the Ferris E. Lucas Sheriff of the Year by the National Sheriffs Association. He was recognized for his contributions to law enforcement and the criminal justice profession, demonstrating exceptional service to the community and to the betterment of the National Sheriffs’ Association.

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