Cover story about a police ride along in Saratoga TODAY's March 11, 2016 edition.

1. SARATOGA SPRINGS —Sergeant
Mark Leffler’s experienced ears
responded quickly to the voice I
hardly noticed on the radio, break-
ing off our conversation about local
DWI incidents. The lights and siren
went on, and I could feel a slight
increase in G’s as our vehicle sped
down Broadway, traffic quickly
moving out of our way.
“Ambulanceinroute,”camedis-
patcher Aneisha Liska’s calm voice
into the unmarked vehicle. That,
I heard. It was about 3:15 a.m. on
Saturday morning, March 5, about
the time my ride-along shift with the
Saratoga Springs Police Department
wasabouttoend,anditsoundedlike
it was about to end on a sober note.
Saratoga TODAY Newsroom Manager Norra Reyes participated in a tour
and ride-along of a typical night in the life of Saratoga Springs Police Officer
Jonathan VanWie and his colleagues on Friday, March 4. Photo courtesy of the
Saratoga Springs Police Department.
Up until this point, it had
been fairly quiet, a routine night in
Saratoga. I had arrived at the dou-
ble doors on Lake Avenue lead-
ing to both the police station and
the department of public works at
around 8 p.m. Friday, March 4. The
air was country-crisp and clean,
wrapped in the welcoming twilight
of the city lights that held the cold
night at bay. I remember thinking,
no wonder people make the drive
from Albany up here after the bars
close there. Saratoga Springs is quite
pretty at any hour, and it smells nice.
I paused at the security win-
dow of the Saratoga Springs Police
Department and was welcomed by
Officer Jonathan VanWie, 29, who
wore his uniform with the ease of
Behind the Thin Blue Line
See Auction pg. 12
Up for AuctionThe Final Four BALLSTON SPA — Twice each
year, in March and September,
properties foreclosed on for
tax delinquencies in Saratoga
County are sold at public auc-
tion. On Tuesday, March 15,
the 2016 Spring Auction will
take place at 50 West High
Street in Building 5 in Ballston
Spa, and will feature approxi-
mately 60 parcels to bid on.
See Blue Line pg. 7
Volume 11 • Issue 10 • March 11 – March 17, 2016 saratogaTODAYnewspaper.com • (518) 581-2480
L O C A L • I N D E P E N D E N T • F R E E
by Rebbecca Davis
Saratoga TODAY
by Norra Reyes
Saratoga TODAY
Weekend Forecast
FRIDAY
57|29
SATURDAY
62|37
SUNDAY
60|39
Inside TODAY
Blotter 5
Obituaries 6-7
Business 14-15
Education 26-27
Pulse 42-45
Sports 51-55
See pg. 34-36
Blue Streaks Buffalo Bound
See Final Four pg. 51
My Night on a SSPD Ride Along
Photo by Francesco D’Amico
Daylight Savings
March 13th 2 a.m.