The Stats Are In: Saratoga Springs Public Safety Report Released

SARATOGA SPRINGS — City Public Safety Commissioner Tim Coll on March 4 released the department’s annual report. 

The Department is comprised of full-time Administrative Office Staff, a Police Department, Fire Department, Code Enforcement Division, Central Dispatch, Traffic Maintenance, Animal Control Officers and a Health Officer. It is tasked with the protection of city residents and their property from crime, fire, hazard, disorder and natural disaster. 

Overall, the Public Safety Department is comprised of approximately 204 full-time and 14 part-time employees. 

Speaking during this week’s City Council meeting, Commissioner Coll said during the past year, the department received a tech grant of more than $1 million which will be used to link department technologies, installed new cameras, and in 2024 “graduated the largest recruiting class ever with 10 officers completing field training.”

Currently, the Saratoga Springs Police Department is staffed with a Chief, one Assistant Chief, 4 Lieutenants, 14 Sergeants, 11 Investigators, and 46 patrol officers.

Regarding the Saratoga Springs Police Department specifically, Coll reported 26,667 call responses. The most frequent call type was traffic stops, with nearly 3,200 in number. 

 “And we had some very significant investigations – a homicide in the city (with the subject was convicted and sentenced to 23 years-to-life), we had a robbery at the Belmont Stakes that was very sophisticated where someone lost a watch valued at $250,000 (and arrest warrants were issued for those folks), and then we had the Lola burglaries – caught as well and two of those subjects have plead guilty,” Coll said.  

Data maps provided by the Capital Region Crime Analysis Center show that throughout 2024, Saratoga Springs had a consistent primary density of Calls for Service in the area of Woodlawn Avenue.  Secondary hotspots consistently observed were in the area of Broadway between Caroline Street & Lake Avenue, and in correlation with Track Season a consistent density of Calls for Service emerged in the area of the Saratoga Race Course – more specifically Union Ave/ NY-9P, in July and August.

Of the 26,667 calls for service handled by members of the SSPD in 2024, officers generated 3,648 cases that resulted in 892 arrests. Sixty-nine of the calls for service resulted in a use of force by SSPD standards. Of the 69 reports documented by the SSPD, only 25 met requirements for reporting by New York State standards, according to the report showcasing that the city police department has a higher standard for reporting uses of force than New York State requires. 

The Department of Public Safety is the city’s largest single department and represents approximately 58% of the general operating expenses this year. Coll spoke of the department’s most recent successes curbing overtime costs. 

“We did have a very large reduction in overtime,” the commissioner said, “from 2024 just January and February – compared to 2025, we reduced overtime by 846 hours.” The remarks drew high praise from Finance Commissioner Minita Sanghvi, tasked with initiating the city’s overall $62.6 million budget for 2025. 

Regarding the Saratoga Springs Fire Department, Coll reported a volume of 7,121 calls – a 2% increase over the previous year. Of these nearly 5,000 were Emergency Medical Responses, nearly 1,000 were alarm activations, and 87 were fires. Fire prevention and the Code Department conducted 2,178 inspections.   

In June 2024, the fire department opened the much-anticipated Station 3, which is located on Henning Road.  The opening of Station 3 has significantly reduced response times to areas east of I-87 and improved coverage of the city as a whole, according to the report. 

The population of Saratoga Springs is just over 28,000 and soars to more than 75,000 during the summer months. The city is comprised of 12,000 private homes and businesses that stretch over 29 square miles.