Assemblymember Phil Steck (D-Colonie) and state Senator George Amedore (R-Rotterdam) announced that legislation to preserve Schenectady County Sheriff’s Office resources and save money for Schenectady County taxpayers has been signed into law by the governor (Ch. 442 of 2015).

The legislation will allow the Schenectady County Jail to be used as a holding facility for suspects in custody awaiting arraignment. Prior to this law, Sheriff’s Deputies and their road patrols had to wait with suspects in the front of the jail, sometimes for hours on end, until a judge was available – which wasted valuable time, manpower and taxpayer dollars.

“By permitting the county jail to be used as a holding facility, this law lets Schenectady County road patrols focus on protecting the community, puts their resources to better use and saves taxpayer money,” Assemblymember Steck said.

“This law will allow the Schenectady County Sheriff’s Office to operate more efficiently and ensure road patrols do not remain tied up with suspects awaiting arraignment,” Senator Amedore said. “Ensuring the safety and well-being of our communities should be the main priority of our law enforcement officials, and this new law will allow them to remain focused on that.”

The new law also lessens the need for overtime. Neighboring counties such as Montgomery and Albany have already adopted similar measures, Steck noted.

“This common-sense legislation creates a beneficial partnership with Schenectady County and its local municipalities,” said Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara (D-Rotterdam). “This law significantly reduces the burden on our small villages and towns that may not have the funds to staff their own lockup facilities twenty-four hours every day. This law also represents a smart consolidation of services that will save taxpayers money and allow our local justice systems to run more efficiently.”

“This law will allow my deputies to focus on what truly matters – keeping our neighborhoods safe,” said Schenectady County Sheriff Dominic Dagostino. “This is simply a more efficient way for us to do our jobs serving the people of Schenectady County.”