Albany County Sheriff Receives Top National Honor

Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple has been named National Sheriff of the Year.

Apple was chosen from more than 3,000 sheriffs across the country.

He will be officially recognized at a ceremony next week in Oklahoma City.

He plans to fly out with his wife on a private jet Saturday morning.

“I am very honored. I am extremely touched and a little embarrassed. It's just, you know, I don't like having things on me,” he said.

Apple said this was a huge win for the department.

Apple has worked at the sheriff's office for 38 years. He started as a corrections officer in 1987 and rose through the ranks to become undersheriff in 2009.

He became sheriff in 2011. He says he's most proud of the homeless shelter he created inside the county jail, helping people escape a life of crime. Apple is the first New York sheriff to be named National Sheriff of the Year.