PUBLIC SAFETY NUMBERS TELL A STORY

by Thomas Dimopoulos Saratoga TODAY

SARATOGA SPRINGS —

This week, the Department of Public Safety released its annual report for the 2022 calendar year.

The city’s Public Safety Department is comprised of a full-time Administrative Office Staff, a Police Department, Fire Department, Code Enforcement Division, Central Dispatch, Traffic Maintenance, Animal Control Officers and a Health Officer. There are approximately 167 fulltime employees, and 11 part-time employees – the latter of whom work as school crossing guards, vehicle traffic controllers, parttime cleaners and clerks, and summer laborers at the traffic garage.

The Police Department specifically is currently staffed with a chief, 4 lieutenants, 10 sergeants, 10 investigators, and 47 patrol officers.

The Department ended the 2022 calendar year with eight vacant patrol positions and the loss of the assistant chief’s position. In 2022, 14 new police officers were hired and trained, 10 were lost through retirements or resignations and 2 new hires left to pursue a career with the New York State Police. Six patrol officers are currently in the police academy and will be available for patrol in May, according to the report.

SOME FINDINGS IN THE 2022 REPORT:

• During the year, members of the Saratoga Springs Police Department responded to 26,186 calls for service. Officers generated 3,933 cases that resulted in 821 arrests. Of the individuals arrested, 57% were not residents of the city of Saratoga Springs.

•The most frequent type of calls were property checks (2,596), followed by traffic stops (2,277).

•Reported crimes, in number: Larceny (414); Burglary (74); Aggravated Assault (61); Rape (18); Robbery (11), Motor Vehicle Theft (9). The three months with the most reported crimes were, in order: July, May, and June.

•A separate, “Reported Crimes Part II” detail: Simple Assault (369); Criminal Mischief (189); Driving Under the Influence (119), and Controlled Substance Sale and/or Possession (101) as the most frequent in this category.

•Driving Under the Influence returned the most arrests (120), followed by Simple Assault (100), Criminal Mischief (67), Larceny (62), and Controlled Substance Possession (62).

• Of the 26,186 calls for service handled by members of the SSPD, 72 resulted in a use of force by SSPD standards, or 0.27% of the total calls for service. Of the 72 Use of Force reports documented by the SSPD, 26 meet the requirements for reporting by New York State, or 0.1% of the total calls for service. In 2022, 56% of all use of force incidents occurred between midnight and 4 a.m. Officers were injured during suspect encounters in 6 separate incidents in 2022.

• Saratoga Springs Police responded to 1,683 traffic collisions resulting in 998 accident reports being completed in 2022. One of the collisions involved a fatality. Officers conducted 2,280 traffic stops in 2022 and issued 1,686 Uniform Traffic Tickets. Of the tickets issued, 132 were for Driving While Intoxicated. Most crashes, Day of the Week: Friday. The highest number of crashes took place during the month of August.

Ballston

Barbera Homes Kelley Farms LLC sold property at 5 Paddock Pl to Ryan Schuette for $290,000

BDC Cornerstone LLC sold property at 93 Cornerstone Dr to Henry Wacksman for $403,218

Brookview Court Inc sold property at 67 Arcadia Ct to Anthony Cascella for $366,414

Corinth

Shea Williams sold property at 217 Palmer Ave to ET Corinth Properties LLC for $180,000.

Galway

Genette Goetz sold property at 5340 Sacandaga Rd to H and B Real Estate Services LLC for $320,000

Greenfield

Royal Rhino Owner LLC sold property at 845 NYS Rt 9N to Saratoga Greens Saratoga

MHC LLC for $2,272,500

David Trojanski sold property at 486 Greene Rd to Patrick Dunleavy for $369,000

Malta

Jared Hogue sold property at

17 Pennyroyal Rd to Kalie Spurgas for $343,000

Belmonte Properties LLC sold property at 45 Village Circle North to Gail Pendergast for $614,855

Liberty Home Builders of Saratoga LLC sold property at 142 Knapp Rd to Michelle Lunt for $588,145

John Spisak sold property at 18 Nostalgia Lane to Eric Schaible for $580,000.

Karlee Singh sold property at 17 Weston Way to Michael Nittinger for $410,000.

Saratoga

James DeGregory sold property at 379 Cty Rt 68 to Davids Building and Design for $580,000.

Karlee Singh sold property at 17 Weston Way to Michael Nittinger for $410,000.

Saratoga Springs

Andrew McDonough sold property at 7 Frederick Dr to Christopher Podeswa for $270,000

Marlene Clemmens sold property at 22 Andrews St to Zoyas Rentals LLC for $410,000

Marian Vogel sold property at 22 Andrews St to Zoya Rentals LLC for $410,000.

Andrea Keefe sold property at 22 Andrews St to Zoyas Rentals LLC for $410,000

Denise Donlon sold property at 96 Catherine St to Julie

Labate for $445,000.

Monica Melendez sold property at 276 Washington St to Nicholas Bordeau for $358,700.

Frederick Elbert sold property at 10 Oak Brook Blvd to Morena Rizzuto for $1,150,000

Karen Carling sold property at 61 Marvin St to Florence Abbott for $385,000.

15 Gridley LLC sold property at 15 Gridley St to Brentwood24 LLC for $1,607,508

One Pearl St LLC sold property at 1 Pearl St to Matthew Casey for $425,000

Wilton

GW Luxe LLC sold property at 19 Stone Ridge Rd to Ryan Jacob for $688,907.

Eileen Elliott sold property at 20 Sweetbriar Dr to Michael Engelbrecht for $625,000.