On June 15th, 1870, the Schenectady Police Department was officially created. It consisted of a Chief of Police, an Assistant Chief and eight Patrolmen. The officers worked twelve hours a day with one day off per month. They enforced the law by walking foot patrol on their assigned beats. The policeman's uniform of the day was a wool knee length blue coat with high collar and two long rows of brass buttons.

Currently, the Schenectady Police Department employs approximately 170 sworn officers and 75 civilians making it the seventh largest police department in New York State. The command staff of the Schenectady Police Department consists of a Chief of Police and three Assistant Chiefs. The Department is divided into four bureaus, the Field Services Bureau, the Support Services Bureau, the Human Resources Bureau and the Investigative Services Bureau. Each bureau is commanded by an Assistant Chief. The Department also has many specialty divisions where members go through intense specialty training while retaining these positions. Some of these positions are: Special Operations, Special Investigations Unit, Forensics, K-9, Youth Aid, Counter-terrorism, Sniper Sharp-shooter, Hostage Negotiator, Motorcycle Patrol, Mountain Bike Patrol, and School Resource Officer.