ALBANY — State Police spent an estimated $91,000 on overtime last autumn monitoring and enforcing a curfew in a state-controlled park near the Occupy Albany encampment, according to records obtained by the Times Union.

Troopers arrested 86 demonstrators, some of them multiple times, between Nov. 15 and Nov. 28 when they moved in groups of several dozen from their tent city in Academy Park — undisturbed for two months in the area across from City Hall — to Lafayette Park, where state officials said an 11 p.m. curfew was in place.

The arrests came despite a statement from Albany County District Attorney David Soares, a Democrat, that he would not prosecute peaceful protesters. He made good on his promise: More than 100 trespass and disorderly conduct violations against the activists were dismissed in court.

Soares was attacked by conservatives but became a hero to the protesters, who for two weeks waited for troopers to arrest them in Lafayette Park. They accused troopers of doing the bidding of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat whose aides urged Albany city police to prevent the installation of a tent city in Academy Park.

The records, obtained by the Times Union under the Freedom of Information Law, show the State Police assigned troopers from barracks around the Capital Region as well as the Hudson Valley — as many as 18 at a time — to special nighttime details at the Capitol. A spreadsheet compiled by State Police shows a total of 1,262.9 hours of overtime associated with the details, which occurred on the first two nights of the protests in October and then for two weeks in November.

State Police Superintendent Joseph D'Amico said in November that troopers were being reassigned. "We wouldn't compromise our ability to provide police services to any region," he said at the time. "So if we had to pay overtime then we'll pay overtime."

Until their response last week to the Times Union's November request, State Police have refused to say how many overtime hours were approved. Officials still wouldn't attach a monetary estimate to the details, which include both troopers and sergeants.

The Office of the State Comptroller said the average cost for an hour of overtime in the Division of State Police was $72.13, based on tallies from 2011. That works out to just over $91,000. Statewide, the State Police spent $15.9 million on overtime last year.

"Holy cow," said Bradley Russell, 40, an anthropology professor who led protesters to tempt arrest in Lafayette Park. "As the vast majority of any arrests that came from any of our actions inside or outside the Capitol were dismissed, the entire police effort amounted to the governor trying to stifle our First Amendment rights, and that was clearly a massive waste of taxpayer dollars."

Different people put blame in different places. Some conservatives point to the protesters — who could have held drum circles to their hearts' content in Academy Park — for daring the police to arrest them. Others point to Soares' decision not to prosecute.

"Soares is the root of the problem, because he refused to enforce the law he swore to uphold," said Albany County Republican Chairman Don Clarey. "It was catch and release, so the State Police had to protect state property at the behest of the governor. The state should make David Soares pay the overtime."

Soares' office declined to comment, but he has partly explained his decision not to prosecute as one of cost savings: If protesters did not plead to the violations they were charged with, cases would take up a large portion of staff and court time.

Julie Santiago, a State Police spokeswoman, said troopers were just enforcing the law: "It's a breach of the public peace. We are bound to enforce the law, no matter who likes it or not, and we did it during those protests."

Troopers are a regular presence at the Capitol, as are protesters. Santiago noted that the amount spent on a single day's detail for Occupy Albany — which at its peak contained about two dozen visible Troopers — was far less than the costs for protests surrounding the passage of the 2011-2012 state budget and the legalization of same-sex marriage a year ago.

"There are demonstrations all the time, and the State Police determines what resources are needed to preserve public safety," said Cuomo spokesman Josh Vlasto.

jvielkind@timesunion.com • 518-454-5081 • @JimmyVielkind