State Police announce new Troop G commander

Jan. 5—Schoharie County and the rest of State Police Troop G have a new commander.

According to a media release, Acting Superintendent Steven A. Nigrelli has appointed Major Dennis J. Schager as the 38th commander of Troop G. He comes to the position from state Intelligence Center at Division Headquarters.

According to the release, Schager entered the state Police Academy on May 4, 1998, and upon graduation, was assigned to Troop C at Sidney, and later transferred to Troop G at Cobleskill. In 2006 he was promoted to sergeant and assigned to Troop B at Plattsburgh. He returned to Troop G as the station commander in Fonda and Princetown before being promoted to Lieutenant in 2013. As a Lieutenant, he served in the Office of Counter Terrorism at the state Intelligence Center — Criminal Intelligence Section, BCI.

Schager was promoted to captain in 2018 and served many roles, including the BCI Captain of the Drug Enforcement Task Force in New York City, a BCI captain in the Professional Standards Bureau — North Region, the uniform captain of field command, and then as the zone commander of Troop G, Zone 2. In April of 2022, he was promoted to major and returned to the Office of Counter Terrorism as the detail commander for the state Intelligence Center and the Joint Terrorism Task Force.

Schager grew up in the Altamont area, the release said. He served in the U.S. Army Reserve and then the U.S. Marine Corps until 1996 when he joined the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. He was mobilized three times in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, deploying to Bahrain and Iraq. He obtained his college degree in Criminal Justice from Hudson Valley Community College in 1998, just before entering the NYSP. He is married with three children and lives in Schenectady County.

"I'm very thankful for the opportunity to lead the men and women of Troop G," Schager said in the release. "It's a responsibility that I don't take lightly. I look forward to continuing and building upon our great relationships with other law enforcement agencies and the community we serve."

Troop G has 24 stations in 10 counties.

Schager's appointment to troop commander was effective Dec. 8. He replaces Major Richard J. O'Brien, who was promoted to the rank of staff inspector.

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