Photo: NoahBryant / iStock / Getty Images
The Albany County Sheriff's Department is moving its offices from the county courthouse on Eagle Street to the former College of Saint Rose campus in Albany. Sheriff Craig Apple announced that some executive staff have already relocated, and the goal is to have the entire department settled in by December at the former William Randolph Hearst Center for Communications and Interactive Media on Madison Avenue.
This move involves approximately 60 employees, including the sheriff, leaving a building that has housed the department for over a century. The state's Office of Court Administration will take over the courthouse space. The sheriff's office, which also runs the county jail in Colonie, is the latest local agency to move to the campus, which the Albany Pine Hills Land Authority purchased for $35 million in March.
The relocation is part of a broader plan by Albany County to utilize the former college campus. The county is advancing efforts to purchase five buildings on the campus, including the Hearst Center, as part of a $6 million proposal. This plan is still under consideration and will be voted on by the County Legislature on November 10. The move has faced some public opposition, with residents urging the county to wait for a report from the Pine Hills Land Authority on potential development plans for the campus.
The relocation aims to consolidate county services and provide direct benefits to residents, including public safety and community programs.