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BALLSTON SPA — Saratoga County Undersheriff Richard Castle’s last day with the department will April 21, as he is set to retire following a 35-year career in law enforcement.
Sheriff Michael Zurlo confirmed there will be a ceremony for Castle at 11 a.m. on April 21.
“He’s a great guy,” Zurlo said. “He’s a hard worker.”
Castle became undersheriff in 2016 following the abrupt departure of Richard Mullahey. Prior to becoming undersheriff, Castle was the chief deputy who oversaw the county’s road patrol and communications center.
As undersheriff, Castle oversaw the county correctional facility, helped with department grants, filled in at events when the sheriff was unavailable and was in charge of the department when the sheriff was on vacation.
”He’s going to be missed. He’s done a lot for me in my tenure as sheriff here as my undersheriff,” Zurlo said. “He is well-respected among his peers, whether it’s in my department or other law enforcement or sheriff’s offices literally across the state.”
Castle started at the department in 1989 at 19 as a dispatcher after previously working as a dispatcher for the Waterford Police Department. He became road patrol officer in August 1991, according to Zurlo, and then was promoted to sergeant and lieutenant in 2008 and 2014, respectively, while working under then-Sheriff James Bowen.
He has also headed the sheriff’s traffic safety unit, been lead investigator and instructor for the collision reconstruction unit, and systems administrator for information technology. He is also on the advisory board of the Zone 5 Law Enforcement Academy in Schenectady.
In 2021 Castle became an adjunct professor at Marist College School of Management in the Department of Public and Non-Profit Administration.
Castle is a graduate of the LaSalle Institute in Troy and has a B.S. in public safety management from the University at Albany. He lives with his wife Catherine and their two children in Halfmoon.
County Administrator Steve Bulger said he’s happy for Castle’s “well-earned retirement.”
“Rick is a true professional, and he has been an integral and highly valued teammate not just for the Sheriff’s Office, but our county administration overall,” he said. “His dedication, insights, and overall professionalism are a credit to himself, Sheriff Zurlo and Saratoga County. We wish him only the very best in his retirement from the county.”
Zurlo said he expects to name a new undersheriff some time in May.
“This is his time for the next two weeks — really the next week and a half, so I don’t want any distractions,” Zurlo said. “I want him to enjoy his next week and a half here at the department.”
The undersheriff salary is currently $140,000, Zurlo said.
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