ALBANY, N.Y. (WNYT)- Bethlehem Police Chief Gina Cocchiara said she has filed paperwork to run for Albany County sheriff after Sheriff Craig Apple said he will not seek another term.
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Cocchiara announced the move July 21, after Apple said last week that he would not run again. She said she filed paperwork with the Board of Elections to form a campaign committee for Albany County sheriff.
“Sheriff Apple has been a role model to me and so many others in local law enforcement for decades. His leadership, integrity, and dedication to Albany County have set the standard for what this office should be,” said Cocchiara.
“Last week after Sheriff Apple announced that he would not seek another term, I officially filed the paperwork with the Board of Elections to form a campaign committee so that I can pick up that mantle and serve as Albany County’s next Sheriff,” said Cocchiara.
Cocchiara started with the Bethlehem Police Department in 1998, according to a post on the department’s Facebook page from November 5, 2020. It says she initially worked in the Patrol Division and was promoted to sergeant in 2008.
She was promoted in 2015 to detective sergeant and became chief of police in 2020.
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“When asked why she became a police officer, Chief Cocchiara immediately said she wished to help people in the community. Chief Cocchiara identified Law Enforcement as a career that would provide her access to meeting and helping people; an opportunity to solve problems in the community and mediate the peace,” the post said.
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