The Albany County Sheriff’s Department held a special ceremony on Friday, June 26, to say goodbye to retiring Undersheriff John R. Mahan and promote two of its own members.
During the ceremony, Sheriff James L. Campbell promoted two members who have each been with the department for nearly 20 years: Craig D. Apple and Matthew J. Campbell.
Apple will now serve as undersheriff. He has been with the department since 1987, when he was hired as a corrections officer. He has served as deputy sheriff since 1990, and since then, has held ranks of sergeant, investigator, senior investigator, lieutenant and captain. Since March of 1999 he has served as chief deputy.
The citizens of this county are very lucky to have a great sheriff, said Apple.
Matthew Campbell is the son of Sheriff Campbell, and he said this will be the first time he will be working directly with his father.
Campbell, who was promoted to chief deputy, came to the department in 1990 as a deputy sheriff. After becoming a member, Campbell spent 13 years with the Department’s Drug Interdiction Unit as both senior investigator and investigator.
He was promoted in 2005 to the rank of captain and was the member in charge of the Voorheesville Patrol Station. In 2006, he became the member in charge of the County E-911 Center.
`I look forward to working with the sheriff and the undersheriff to continue to move our agency into a technologically advanced agency in the county,` said Campbell.
Campbell said the department is always seeking grants to purchase state-of-the-art equipment `to help public safety as a whole, and not just law enforcement.`
When asked what it would be like to work with his father, Campbell said, `The sheriff, he really is the epitome of being a professional. I hope that I can emulate that and I can set an example, like he does, for the rest of the department.`
Both Campbell and Apple are 41 years old.
Sheriff Campbell said his son is not his only relative in law enforcement. His other son, James T. Campbell, is a criminal investigator with the department and his son-in-law Adam Hornick is a detective with the Bethlehem Police Department.
The Albany County Sheriff’s Department has more than 700 members, with more than 100 in law enforcement, Sheriff Campbell said.
`Both of these individuals have played an instrumental role in projecting our department in becoming a high profile, progressive and professional department,` Sheriff Campbell said. `Both of these individuals are career law enforcement officers, and they possess the experience, leadership qualities and positive work ethic that are a prerequisite for the position they will work in,` he said.“
