PBA and Tamarac Schools present the 1st Annual Deputy Frank J. O'Brien Memorial Volleyball Tournament

The PBA held the first annual Frank J O'Brien Memorial Volleyball tournament at the Tamarac Schools on April 30, 2008. We would like to thank everyone that came together to make this event very memorable. We hope to continue this tradition and look forward to every opportunity we get to work with the community and to also continue the scholarship fundraising for High School seniors in Rensselaer County.

(Inset) Mikey and Joanne O'Brien join the RCSD PBA, County Executive Kathy Jimino, and Sheriff Mahar for a photo with the championship trophy.

Aquafina Pitch Hit and Run Competition in East Greenbush

The PBA would like to thank all those who participated and volunteered to make this years innaugural Pitch Hit and Run in East Greenbush a wonderful success. We look forward to building from this years starting point, and hope that the event can become bigger and better each year.

Special Congratulations to the overall winner, KYLE HALL.

PBA presents Robyn Gibson with donation for Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

The PBA was proud to present Robyn Gibson of Sand Lake with a check for $400. Robyn is competing in a marathon in Florida soon and is raising money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Robyn’s mother was diagnosed with Breast Cancer in November of 2006, and Robyn has joined this “team” in an effort to raise money and awareness for the cause.

PBA teams up with 104.9 The Edge to help the North Eastern New York Regional Food Bank 

Deputies Complete EMT Certification

Deputies recently attended an intensive two week EMT school.  They were required to complete more than 135 hours of classroom and field instruction.  During the class deputies were required to ride with the men and women of the Troy Fire Department and responded to numerous EMS calls as part of their training.  Deputies learned how to respond to and treat life threatening emergencies such as cardiac/respiratory problems, diabetic, seizure and trauma emergencies.  Soon you will see the men and women of the Highway Patrol responding to EMS calls as a means to a rapid first response program to assist the citizens of Rensselaer County until an ambulance arrives.   

RCDS PBA Award Scholorships

The Rensselaer County Deputy Sheriffs' PBA recently awarded scholarships to 7 graduating high school seniors at the Public Safety Building in Troy. A brief ceremony was followed by the distribution of the awards of $500 to each student. We wish to congratulate the class of 2007 and remind everyone that we will be offering 10 scholarships to the class of 2008. The amounts of these awards are yet to be determined but will be at least $500 each. Please check our site often as we will announce the application dates on the website. In closing, we are only able to offer the scholarships to students because of the donations that we receive as a charity. In order to make a donation in which 100% will go to the PBA click on the donations page.

Deputies Make Large Scale Drug Bust

Deputies recently made a large scale drug bust which netted more that 10 oz of cocaine, a scale, cutting agents and packing materials. The cocaine had an estimated street value of over $27,000. 28 year old Brad Bova was arrested and charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance and criminal possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell. As you can see this was a large amount of a dangerous drug that was taken off the streets. Bova was arraigned and remanded to the Rensselaer County Jail with no bail.

Deputies teach when to call 911

Children attending the first grade at Genet Elementary School in East Greenbush were given a lesson by Sheriff's Office deputies recently on when and how to call 911. Children were given coloring books to follow along with and treated to a tour of the deputies cars and a surprise visit from K9 Cyrus. The children were very excited to learn about 911 asking a variety of questions about police work and emergencies. Deputies Russo, Castle and Rabbitt were excited to participate.

Sheriff Deputies take part in numerous Little League parades.

Deputies took part in a number of parades throughout the County ushering in the start of the Little League season. The PBA has donated to several leagues this year and is looking forward to extending our donations to other leagues next season. Here we take part on opening day for the Brunswick Little League.

Deputy Sandy Blodgett and K9 Bleau make a large narcotics bust.

Deputy Blodgett and K9 Bleau recently arrested William J Gallagher of 25 Seneca St in the Town of Brunswick. While on routine patrol at the Amtrak train Station Gallagher came to the attention of Deputy Blodgett and was caught with 3 pounds of psilocybin mushrooms before he tried to board a train to Buffalo. Following the arrest authorities including the Sheriff's Office were able to obtain a search warrant for Gallagher's house which led to a larger discovery of narcotics and a substantial drug operation. Other drugs found were marihuana, hallucinogenic mushrooms, ephedrine, LSD, hashish and ketamine. Gallagher was arraigned in Rensselaer City court and sent to the Rensselaer County jail without bail.

Deputy Bill Rabbitt and K9 Cyrus track a robbery suspect.

Deputy Bill Rabbitt and K9 Cyrus were called out in the early morning of January to help the Mechanicville Police track a robbery suspect. Deputy Rabbitt responded to the Cumberland Farms in Mechanicville which had just been robbed by a suspect wearing a blue ski mask and brandishing a large knife. The suspect fled on foot and it was there that K9 Cyrus began to track the suspect. The track led throughout the city and Cyrus first led police to the suspect's discarded ski mask, and eventually right to the suspect's house. This led to the arrest of Michael Ellsworth of 35 S Main St in Mechanicville. He was arraigned and remanded to the Saratoga County jail on 25,000 cash bail.

Deputies carry AED's for use in sudden cardiac arrest.

The members of the Rensselaer County Deputy Sheriff's PBA are assigned a Cardiac Science Powerheart AED while out on patrol. Along with the AED the deputies receive annual training in the use of an AED and in CPR. This allows deputies to respond directly to an emergency while on patrol and deliver potential life-saving care in the event it is needed.

Sudden cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death in the United States, responsible for over 50 deaths every hour. That is more than the combined deaths from homicide, suicide, drug abuse, and automobile collisions. Since law enforcement has the potential to be first on the scene, it is critical that law enforcement be equipped with this life-saving technology to bridge the time gap between collapse and the arrival of EMS.