When Jackie Salvatore is sworn in as Columbia County Sheriff in January, she won’t just assume a county post. She’ll make history — becoming the first Black woman ever elected county sheriff in New York State.
“I don’t think about it that much,” Salvatore told the Herald days before the election. “I have a really exceptional résumé that’s prepared me for this office — and I happen to be Black and a woman.”
Salvatore, 58, won decisively on Tuesday, Nov. 4, with 58% of the vote, defeating Republican John Rivero. Her victory followed nearly four decades in law enforcement — and a lifetime in Hudson, where she was born and raised after her parents moved north from Virginia seeking opportunity.
A Lifetime in Service
After graduating from Hudson High School and completing coursework at Columbia-Greene Community College, Salvatore entered the New York State Police Academy in 1988. Over the next 28 years, she worked as a trooper, undercover narcotics officer, and later as an investigator in Columbia County. In 2001, she shifted to the Employee Assistance Program, where she supported officers dealing with trauma, addiction, and burnout.
“I got to help the helpers,” she said. “And that changed how I looked at everything — knowing that if you take care of the people doing the work, they’ll take better care of the public.”
It was a philosophy she carried into her later work as Undersherriff, after then-Sheriff Don Krapf recruited her in 2021. Together, they sought to modernize the department, improve morale, and introduce programs focused on officer wellness and community engagement.
One of Salvatore’s first major initiatives was creating a countywide Employee Assistance Program — a model she had overseen at the state level. The program now collaborates with neighboring counties to provide mental health services and crisis intervention for law enforcement officers and their families.
Her leadership style, she said, rejects old-school hierarchies: “Top-down management doesn’t work anymore, even in policing. I don’t say people work for me. They work with me.”
That approach helped Salvatore earn the endorsement of 98% of the Columbia County Sheriff’s Department’s deputies and correctional officers — their first endorsement of a Sheriff’s candidate in two decades, she said.
Faith, Family, and the Human Side of Policing
Off duty, Salvatore’s grounding comes from her faith, family, and simple pleasures — cooking, gardening, and travel. She earned a degree in biblical studies at 50 as part of a personal exploration. “If I believe something, I want to know why,” she said.
She sees strong parallels between her religious study and her approach to policing: discipline, compassion, and inclusion. “It’s about welcoming everyone, no matter what,” she said.
That sense of humanity shapes her views on criminal justice. Salvatore has long advocated for reform rooted in empathy but informed by realism. “Bail reform needs a reform,” she said, arguing that judges should have more discretion in cases involving repeat property crimes and domestic violence. “Some people need treatment. Some people need accountability. It’s not one size fits all.”
As Sheriff, Salvatore plans to expand recruitment and strengthen the department’s relationships with residents, especially through community-based programs. She founded the Wheels of Justice initiative, which refurbishes donated bicycles for people reentering society after incarceration or recovery.
She said her goal is to model a department that reflects the community it serves — and earns its trust. “The biggest challenge is always recruitment,” she said. “But when people are happy where they work, they attract others.”
For Salvatore, leadership means presence. “I do it for the people who suit up and show up every day,” she said. “If we take care of each other, everything else — safety, fairness, community — follows.”
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