Dominic Dagostino, Sheriff
James Barrett, Undersheriff
320 Veeder Avenue, Schenectady, NY 12307
518 388-4300
Sheriff Dominic A. Dagostino has been a lifelong resident of Schenectady County and has over twenty years experience in law enforcement. Prior to his election to the Office of Sheriff he was a member of the Rotterdam Police Department. During his tenure with the Rotterdam Police Department he served in every facet of the department: patrol officer, investigator, patrol sergeant and lieutenant. At the time of his retirement from the Rotterdam Police Department he was the Detective Division Commanding Officer.
Sheriff Dagostino has received extensive law enforcement training throughout his career. He is a graduate of the Zone 5 Regional Law Enforcement Training Academy and has taken and attended numerous in-service training courses and seminars.
Sheriff Dagostino graduated from the State University of New York at Albany with a B.A. in Sociology and a minor in Criminal Justice Studies.
Sheriff Dagostino has set many goals and objectives that he hopes to accomplish as Sheriff of Schenectady County:
GOOD MORNING NEIGHBOR PROGRAM
The Good Morning Neighbor Program is a computerized program that senior citizens and disabled persons may elect to sign up for. Each day the computer system calls the resident to check their well being. If the person does not answer the phone the computer notifies the police dispatcher who intern dispatches a patrol unit to check the welfare of the resident.
“STOPPED” PROGRAM (Sheriff’s Telling Our Parents and Promoting Educated Drivers)
Under the STOPPED program parents will be notified any time their child is stopped by police officers.
IMPROVE MORALE
One of the most important duties of a manager or administrator is to continually monitor, support and strengthen the organization. The Sheriff must recognize the importance of motivating the officers of the Sheriff’s Office to not only perform according to the standards set by the Sheriff, but to be interested in achieving more. We all know that monetary rewards are temporary and in the long run, it takes more than good pay to motivate a worker. Employees must take pride in their work and want to excel, for the reward of self-satisfaction.
EMPLOYEE ACCOUNTABILITY
Ensure that all employees understand the standards of performance expected of them and that there are consequences for poor performance.
IMPROVE INTERAGENCY COOPERATION
The Schenectady County Sheriff’s Office is one of seven law enforcement agencies within Schenectady County. We should never lose sight of the fact that we are all parts of the whole and must work together to serve and protect the residents.
CONTROL COSTS
The Sheriff’s Office and the Correctional Facility are one of the largest county expenditures. It will always be important to continually monitor the expenses of operation, and to look for ways to reduce expenses and increase revenues.
IMPROVE THE “TOOLS” OF THE AGENCY
Each day we ask our officers to protect the health, safety and welfare of the citizens of the County. In turn, we must provide them with the tools to accomplish their mission.
A. FACILITY – Thoroughly evaluate the facility, the repairs needed, and the projected space requirements of the future, and develop a plan to improve the working environment.
B. FACILITY VIDEO SYSTEM – Equip the complete correctional facility with interior and exterior video monitoring which would enhance security.
C. COMPUTERIZATION – Provide computers for all work stations within the facility and computer availability to all officers.
ACCREDITATION
Presently the only agency in Schenectady County which has New York State Accreditation is the Rotterdam Police Department. The Sheriff’s goal is to receive accreditation for the correctional facility, the civil office, and the patrol division.
TRAINING
Information is a vital tool. Having a well-trained officer is not a luxury: it is a necessity, especially in our litigious society. The State of New York recognizes this and requires that we provide certain types and levels of training but does not provide the training. Our goal in the future is to expand the existing training programs and develop new in-service training.
PATROL DIVISION SUBSTATION
At the present time the sheriff’s patrol division is stationed at the correctional facility on Veeder Avenue in downtown Schenectady. The Sheriff’s goal is to obtain a substation in the western part of the county in order to provide coverage for the complete county.
HR 218 TRAINING
This new Federal law exempts qualified active and retired law enforcement officers from local and State prohibitions on the carrying of concealed firearms while off-duty across state lines. The Federal law requires these officers to be tested or otherwise found by the State to meet the standards established by the State for training and qualification for active law enforcement officers to carry a firearm. Presently many jurisdictions throughout the country provide the needed training and Sheriff Dagostino’s goal is to establish such training locally.
Schenectady County has a population of 147,500 and an area of 207 square miles.