Bethlehem Area Weekly Police Blotter July 24: Albany man with drugs behind Delaware Plaza

Man has had frequent contact with police over two years

DELMAR — An Albany man with multiple past arrests for larcenies at local stores and other incidents in the town was arrested again on Wednesday, July 17 behind Delaware Plaza.

At approximately 9:22 a.m., Bethlehem police responded to the woods behind the plaza for a man acting irrational. Upon arrival, officers found Joseph Barba, 42, of Albany, allegedly leaning against a shopping cart and not able to put on one of his boots.

According to reports, Barba attempted to spit on officers when they were talking to him and was taken into custody. He was known to officers through multiple contact with police over the past two years, the most recent on May 3 when he was riding an electric bicycle down the middle of Delaware Avenue at 3 a.m. and also had outstanding warrants from the City of Albany.

This time, Barba was in possession of multiple baggies of heroin with a combined weight of 7.5 grams and a quantity of Gabapentin. He also had another outstanding warrant from the City of Albany.

Barba has been involved in multiple incidents of larcenies at local stores in February, September, January 2023 and January 2022 in Bethlehem. Each time he was wanted by other agencies on outstanding warrants and had drugs or paraphernalia.

For this incident he was charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, a misdemeanor and given an appearance ticket for Bethlehem Town Court on Monday, Aug. 5.

He was then transported to Albany’s South Station and turned over to officers from that department.

Bethlehem police receives grant for radio console upgrade

DELMAR — the Bethlehem Police Department is upgrading its antiquated communications equipment after receiving $746,642 from the state Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) Law Enforcement Technology (LETECH) Grant Program.

Police Chief Gina Cocchiara had requested the Town Board’s approval to accept the grant and enter into an agreement with Motorola Solutions. The agreement would involve purchasing new radio consoles for the department’s Communications Center for $560,000, under the terms of a contract with the state Office of General Services.

The Town Board approved the measure when it last met on Wednesday, July 10.

The current radio consoles, used by telecommunicators to coordinate with various law enforcement, fire, EMS, and local government services, were installed more than 10 years ago and are now obsolete. With the implementation of the Albany County Project 25 Phase II Digital 800MHz Radio Cores, the outdated hardware has reached the end of its serviceable life, with limited parts and support available.

The department applied for this funding in November 2023 to replace outdated law enforcement technology. The grant award was confirmed in May 2024 for the state’s fiscal year 2024-25.

Cocchiara said the upgrade aims to modernize operations and enhance crime-solving and prevention capabilities.

The remaining grant funds will be used for future upgrades, including mapping and data management software and critical department hardware.

The post Bethlehem Area Weekly Police Blotter July 24: Albany man with drugs behind Delaware Plaza first appeared on Spotlight News .