The Menands Police Department was founded in 1924. Since it was founded, the Police Department has been located at 250 Broadway along with the Village Court.

Prior to 1924 the Benard Kilmade was a part time constable. Mr Kilmade was the chauffeur for Harry Sage. The Town of Colonie Police Department was not officially organized until 1934, ten years after the Village of Menands was incorporated and its first Chief, Albert Graffunder was appointed as the sole officer at that time. Graffunder was appointed by the Village Trustees in 1924 when the Village was incorporated. Chief Graffunder served during the Prohibition years and bootleggers running between Albany and other points.

Chief Graffunder patrolled and answered calls on a motorcycle with sidecar year-round. Chief Graffunder was severely injured several times and at least once he was run off the road by a local bootlegger and hit the stone wall at Tillinghast Avenue and Broadway on his motorcycle. Rumor had it that the first house on the right side of Tillinghast Avenue was a favorite hangout for bootleggers. Its driveway connects to Broadway, not Tillinghast Avenue, the home has an extended garage leading to a spacious parking garage beneath the home capable of parking several cars and behind a separate set of wooden doors with frosted glass panes so one can’t see what kind of vehicle is parked in the “secret” space. It was soon discovered that despite assistance from the N.Y. State Police at times, Chief Graffunder needed more help. The Village soon appointed three more officers, and one more motorcycle with a sidecar. The men were Sergeant Al Lippincott, Douglas Smith, and James P. Golden.

The Al Graffunder award is honored to a student from the Menands School District who has shown a proficiency in Social Studies and who is also active in their community. We honor Al Graffunder and all of the past and current members of the Menands Police Department.

Over time, several more officers were added to the force. Officers worked 2 men to a car each shift, except when one partner called in sick, you were the only officer on duty. Calls for service increased due to the large Montgomery Wards Store (now Riverview Center) and later Two Guys Department Store. Three major supermarkets including Pantry Pride at Mid-City Shopper Plaza, Shoprite and Grand Union opened next to the Two Guys Store. All of these establishments prosecuted shoplifters and bad check writers as well as burglary rates increased.

One car on patrol finally ended in the late 1990’s as was having a single officer on duty. Two Sergeant positions were established in 2002 and the department was bolstered by the use of part time officers who were either retired from local agencies or working for other agencies. The Menands Police Department maintains a 24-7 operation, modern equipment, including radios and computers in patrol vehicles. The Dispatcher area consisted of both full time and part time workers. In fact, the Menands Police Department was one of the very first in the area to hire a female dispatcher, village resident Carol Blaauboer of Brookside Avenue, wife of John Blaauboer who also dispatched for the department.

A third Sergeant was added in 2014 bringing the total of full-time officers to 11. The Menands Police Department incorporated its first Detective Sergeant in 2018 and added a Detective in January of 2020 for a total to 12. The first Lieutenant was promoted in August of 2020. A second Detective was added in 2021 for a total of 13 along with a School Resource Officer in 2023 leaving the department to a total of 14 members today.

The Menands Police Department additionally has bike patrols to provide services on the bike path and our parks, a UTV patrol to provide coverage on our trailways and bike paths, and a drone unit to provide aerial support and to search for missing or lost people. Our department has a dedication to traffic safety and enforcement. In 2023 Menands Police partnered with Watervliet Police and Green Island Police to provide a Rapid Deployment Team. The Rapid Deployment Team is utilized for high-risk operations and warrants. Menands Police continues to have an Investigations Unit, staffed with a Detective Sergeant and a Detective.

As of January 1, 2024, the Village of Menands has merged its local Police Dispatch Operations Center with the Albany County Sheriff Dispatch Center. We now join Cohoes, Green Island and Watervliet in utilizing the newly enhanced, multi-million-dollar, state of the art center Albany County has created. We have now created a seamless network for safety from Cohoes all the way into the City of Albany.

The Menands Police Department will continue to provide excellent services to Menands Residents in the coming years.