Investigators searched the Colonie, Albany County home of New York State Police Lt. Col. Jared Duffy on Tuesday, bringing the 48-year-old chief of staff to Superintendent Steven G. James to a state police barracks in Schodack for questioning. Duffy was in state police custody Tuesday afternoon and has not been charged in connection with the investigation, which is being led by the agency's own Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
According to the Times Union, law enforcement sources said the investigation focuses on sexually explicit images of children. Investigators searched Duffy's residence off Osborne Road with at least one K9, and a person briefed on the investigation told the paper the dog alerted investigators to a hidden laptop that was taken into evidence. The same report notes that investigators cleared the Schodack barracks of state police personnel while they questioned Duffy there.
A Rapid Rise Through the Ranks
Duffy joined the New York State Police in 2002 and served in Troops B, F and G, as well as at the State Police Academy in Albany, per the Times Union's reporting. He went on to work as a lieutenant in planning and research and as a staff inspector and executive assistant to the superintendent before his professional biography says he began overseeing special projects on behalf of the superintendent.
Duffy was appointed Assistant Deputy Superintendent and Chief of Staff of the New York State Police in October 2024, according to LegiStorm.
The Task Force Now Investigating Its Own Chief of Staff
The New York State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force is headquartered within the agency's Special Investigations Unit in Albany, according to the New York State Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. New York has two dedicated ICAC task forces, and both are among the highest-volume task forces nationally for CyberTipline reports and exploitation leads, per the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. An online child exploitation sting in Erie County led to six arrests on October 2 and 3.
The Town of Colonie Police Department, where Duffy lives, maintains a specialized Computer Crime Unit that directly partners with the state task force on digital evidence analysis, according to the Colonie Police Department. It remains unclear whether local detectives played any role in Tuesday's search of Duffy's home.
What New York Law Says About the Allegations
Under New York Penal Law Section 263.16, possessing or knowingly accessing child sexual performance material depicting a minor under 16 is classified as a Class E felony, according to the New York State Senate's codified statutes. A conviction under that statute or under Section 263.11 would also require registration as a sex offender under New York's Sex Offender Registration Act, per Stengel Law. No charges have been filed against Duffy as of Tuesday afternoon.
A State Police Leadership Already Under Scrutiny
Superintendent Steven G. James was confirmed by the New York State Senate in April 2024 after being nominated by Governor Kathy Hochul, according to Finger Lakes Daily News.
Hoodline previously reported on trust issues James has had to publicly address, including employee misconduct and internal probes into senior executive staff. The investigation into his own chief of staff now adds a new and especially sensitive chapter to that pattern of scrutiny inside state police headquarters.
No further details have been released about what, if anything, investigators found on the seized laptop, and Duffy has not been charged as the case continues. This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
