Albany County was incorporated in 1683. Situated on the West bank of the Hudson River, the County is located approximately 135 miles directly North of New York City and has an area of approximately 540 square miles.The County has a population of 297,414 as reported in the United States Census Bureau's most recent report. The County contains three cities, ten towns and six villages.

The Albany County Sheriff's Office was established in the 1660's and is one of the oldest Sheriff's agencies in the United States. Since its inception, the Agency has consistently grown to its current strength of over 750 employees. The Albany County Sheriff's Office is a "full-service" Law Enforcement Agency providing law enforcement services to residents and visitors of Albany County. These services include; Uniform Patrol, Criminal Investigations Unit, Drug Interdiction Unit, Fire Investigation Unit, Scuba Unit, Crime and Accident Investigation Unit, Snowmobile Unit, Marine Patrol, Emergency Response Team (S.W.A.T.) Unit, Hostage / Crisis Negotiation Team, Emergency Management Unit, Bicycle Patrol Unit, K-9 Unit, Traffic Safety Unit, STOP DWI Unit, Civil Unit, Court Security and Inmate Transportation Unit, Forensic Unit, Emergency Medical Services Unit (Paramedics), County Fire Coordinators Unit, Domestic Violence and Special Victims Unit and a Search and Rescue Unit. Additionally this Agency provides 24 hour, seven day a week law enforcement services to the Albany International Airport, located in Colonie New York.

The Albany County Sheriff's Correctional Facility is one of the largest County Correctional Facilities in the State of New York. The Facility has a maximum of 1029 beds, providing custody for local, state and federal prisoners. The current staff of 420 for both sworn officers and civilians maintains the day-to-day operations of the Facility. During the past year, over 7000 prisoners were admitted to the Facility. The average daily population has exceeded 800 inmates over the past year.