The Albany County Sheriff’s Office can now hire from outside the county.

The Albany County Legislature voted to repeal the residency requirement indefinitely.

Albany County Executive Dan McCoy is expected to sign the repeal, making it official. That means the sheriff’s office – and all county departments – can now hire people from outside Albany County.

It’s something Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple has been fighting for.

He has more vacancies in his department right now than he can remember in his 37 years here, he said.

Apple recently had calls from people in Brooklyn and Indiana who are interested in joining the sheriff’s office.

This isn’t just an Albany County problem. Fulton County Sheriff Richard Giardino has brought on four new part-timers from outside the area since the laws were changed in June.

Residency is just one issue, both sheriffs said. Other incentives also play a part.

Learn about what they are by watching the video of Subrina Dhammi’s story.