SUNY Canton Police Academy Sees Largest Class of North Country Officers

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Pictured is Potsdam Police Officer Kyle E. Fink teaching a penal law class to 31 cadets enrolled in the SUNY Canton David Sullivan-St. Lawrence County Law Enforcement Academy.

CANTON, NY (01/25/2017)(readMedia)-- The St. Lawrence County-David Sullivan Law Enforcement Academy at SUNY Canton is in full swing with the largest class in its 22-year history.

Area police agencies have sponsored 28 cadets to become police officers when they complete their training in June. An additional three students from the SUNY Canton's Law Enforcement Leadership program are completing their education through the academy.

"We are the only academy for sworn law enforcement officers in St. Lawrence County," noted Joseph W. Brown, director of operations for the Law Enforcement Academy. "We have cadets representing almost every law enforcement agency in the county and a half dozen future officers from Lewis and Hamilton counties. We also have two participants from the St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Police."

Certified professional police officers present the majority of courses at the Academy. In many cases those officers are also graduates of SUNY Canton. Brown is a 1988 graduate of the college and is a retired Massena Police Department investigator.

St. Lawrence County Sheriff Kevin M. Wells, who is a 1980 SUNY Canton alumnus, said his office is currently sponsoring three cadets who will become deputies when they complete the rigorous training.

"The Law Enforcement Academy at SUNY Canton is a valuable resource to the north country agencies," Wells said. "This is demonstrated by the mixture of departments represented by this group of cadets. We are proud of our continued ability to turn out highly trained personnel and by the quality and professionalism of the instructors."

SUNY Canton's Law Enforcement Academy Training is offered in two phases. Phase one offers pre-employment training and encompasses the majority of skills necessary to become a police officer. Cadets then are eligible to complete phase two upon becoming a sworn police officer. Phase two includes, firearms, and counter terrorism training, advanced police arrest techniques, among other topics. The academy also includes a special emphasis on community police practices including fair and impartial policing.

Students in law enforcement related programs can opt to take phase one of the training to meet their applied learning requirements. As SUNY Canton students participate in phase one, they are often recruited to fill vacancies at area police agencies, which then qualifies them to participate in phase two of the training.

"We are currently one of a few select academies in New York State that offer this comprehensive training," said SUNY Canton Chief of University Police Alan P. Mulkin. "Phase two of our Academy is available for students who complete their introductory coursework once they have been selected for employment."

About SUNY Canton

SUNY Canton is Northern New York's premier college for career-driven bachelor's degrees, associate degrees and professional certificate programs. The college delivers quality hands-on programs in engineering technology, health, management and public service and recently received number one rankings in library resources, library services and tutoring services in the SUNY Student Opinion Survey. The college's faculty members are noted for their professional real-world experience in addition to outstanding academic credentials. SUNY Canton OnLine offers hundreds of flexible and convenient courses as well as 11 exclusively online bachelor's degrees. The college's 15 athletic teams compete as members of the NCAA Division III.

-www.canton.edu-