The Oswego County Legislature recently awarded $400,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to Cayuga Community College to develop the Oswego County Regional Police Academy, a dedicated facility to train pre-employment and in-service law enforcement personnel.

The Oswego County Regional Police Academy will provide students with improved access to law enforcement careers and develop a pool of qualified candidates each year for local agencies. Located at Cayuga’s Fulton campus, the state-of-the-art facility will prepare the police officers of tomorrow and offer continuing education to help current law enforcement officials sharpen their skills.

“We’re pleased to support the Oswego County Regional Police Academy with the county’s ARPA funds,” said Oswego County Vice Chairman of the Legislature Marc Greco, District 24, chairman of the Legislature’s Public Safety Committee. “This collaboration fills a critical need in our region and the investment will pay dividends for local students and law enforcement agencies well into the future. We thank Cayuga Community College’s leadership for their vision and look forward to seeing future generations of law enforcement officers make their way through the academy.”

The Regional Police Academy will prepare students for their start in law enforcement while developing a trained workforce ready to serve local agencies. In addition to offering high-quality training, the program will connect students in Cayuga’s criminal justice programs to potential career opportunities by creating a bridge between the academy and local law enforcement. 

“We are incredibly appreciative of the leadership in Oswego County for recognizing the potential of establishing a regional police academy at Cayuga’s Fulton campus,” said Cayuga Community College President Dr. Brian Durant. “This project presents short- and long-term benefits by supporting regional law enforcement with a local academy and creating a direct pathway for our students to access the training they need after earning a degree from Cayuga. On behalf of everyone at Cayuga, thank you to Oswego County for their support of this initiative, and we’re looking forward to completing this and future projects in the years ahead.”

The Oswego County Regional Police Academy is on track to welcome its first cohort of students in late 2024. The college is renovating a portion of its 11 River Glen Dr. campus in Fulton to house the academy. Construction is slated to begin later this year.

Once completed, students entering the Regional Police Academy will have the opportunity to earn their degree and complete Phase I of the academy while building ties with local law enforcement. The program will also present regional law enforcement agencies with a local academy that regularly graduates qualified candidates who are properly trained to serve their communities.

Oswego County Sheriff Don Hilton said the Regional Police Academy comes at an opportune time as police departments across the country are struggling to attract and retain qualified law enforcement officers. Hilton said the on-campus academy in Fulton would not only provide a clear pathway for prospective officers, but also offer continuing education opportunities for deputies, corrections officers and other local police.

“We’re excited to have an academy right here in Oswego County that will offer a first-class education to prospective and current law enforcement officers,” Hilton said. “The Oswego County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank Cayuga Community College and the Oswego County Legislature for their support of this project. It will undoubtedly develop the next generation of highly skilled police officers to serve our community well into the future.”

Funding for the Oswego County Regional Police Academy was provided through ARPA, a nearly $2 trillion economic stimulus package approved by Congress in 2021. The spending package contained $350 billion for state and local governments, including $22 million for Oswego County.

In 2021, the Oswego County Legislature created the Office of Strategic Initiatives and tasked them with administering the county’s ARPA funds. ARPA funding decisions are made by the Oswego County Legislature with the assistance of the county’s ARPA Task Force, which reviews applications to ensure eligibility.

Oswego County distributes ARPA funding in strategic ways to maximize its impact on public health and safety while recognizing the economic harm the COVID-19 pandemic caused throughout local communities.

For more than five decades, Cayuga Community College has offered one of the top associate degree programs in criminal justice in New York State. The college currently offers students an opportunity to earn an associate degree in applied sciences in criminal justice through pathways dedicated to either corrections or police. The college is exploring additional measures to develop these programs to better serve its students and the agencies they would join upon completing the academy.

OSWEGO COUNTY DESIGNATES ARPA FUNDS TO CAYUGA COMMUNITY COLLEGE - Oswego County presents Cayuga Community College (CCC) leaders with a check for $400,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds that will help develop a police academy at the college’s Fulton campus. Pictured from left are Oswego County Legislator Herbert Yerdon, District 2; Legislator Linda Lockwood, District 11; Oswego County Sheriff Don Hilton; CCC President Dr. Brian Durant; Legislature Vice Chair Marc Greco, District 24; CCC Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Ron Cantor; CCC Criminal Justice Program Director Theresa Misiaszek; Legislator James Karasek, District 22, and his service dog Isabel.