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DCJS Certified Police Instructors
On January 17 2025, SUNY Oneonta Law Enforcement Academy graduated four newly DCJS certified Police Instructors. The Instructor Development Course was Directed by Master Police Instructor Joseph M. Galante. Additional course instructors assisted from Schoharie County Sheriff’s Office, Broome County Sheriff’s Office, Oneonta City Police Department, and the Bronx County District Attorney’s Office. The course was held on the SUNY Oneonta campus. Students in attendance were Officers from Ulster County Sheriff’s Office, New York State University Police at Oneonta, Oneonta City Police Department, and Co-Op City Police Department personnel.
Police Field Training
On January 9 2025 SUNY Oneonta Law Enforcement Academy graduated 14 new Police Field Training Officers. The course was held under the Direction of Joseph M. Galante and contained Officers and Deputies from Albany County Sheriff’s Office, Schoharie County Sheriff’s Office, Oneonta City Police Department, Co-Op City Police Department, New York State University Police at Oneonta and Farmingdale. New Field Training Officers from this course will go on to assist is recruit training to the current SUNY OLEA academy cohort out on Field Training.
DCJS Certified Police Instructors
On August 9, 2024, SUNY Oneonta Law Enforcement Academy graduated eight newly DCJS certified Police Instructors. The Instructor Development Course was administered by Master Police Instructor and SUNY Oneonta LEA Primary Instructor Joseph M. Galante. The course was held on the SUNY Oneonta campus. Five of the newly minted Police Instructors are with the New York State University Police, also in attendance were Investigators with the New York State Inspector General and Co-Op City Police Department personnel.
Physical Fitness Instructors
On August 19, 2024, SUNY Oneonta LEA graduated four new Physical Fitness Instructors. Primary Instructor, Joseph M. Galante, NYSUP Oneonta Lieutenant Richard C. Sass, and SUNY Oneonta Track & Field Coach Christopher Wilber assisted in the administration of the course. The course is highly physical and requires a strict 70% Cooper standard performance test to be admitted. Two sworn members and one civilian member of the New York State University Police at Oneonta will be assigned to assist at the ongoing SUNY Oneonta LEA Basic Police Course that is in session. A New York City Department of Correction Academy Instructor also graduated to bring training concepts back to the NYC Correction Academy in Queens, NY.
The Otsego County Law Enforcement Academy (OCLEA) was founded by Otsego County Sheriff Donald R. Mundy, Sr. in 1995. The mission of the Academy was to provide a basic course for police officers in Central New York. Many of the communities in the area have small police departments, some with only part-time officers, who need access to this New York State-mandated police training program. Sheriff Mundy recognized the need for a professional law enforcement training center that could provide the necessary basic training for police, as well as the ability to offer in-service training at a reasonable cost to all the officers working for these municipalities. As the SUNY Oneonta University Police Department became more involved in assisting with the Academy, the sheriff sought to expand University Police Department's role. Session #6 of the Basic Course for Police Officers was moved to the SUNY Oneonta campus, to take advantage of the increased space, modern physical fitness facilities and educational classrooms that are available at SUNY Oneonta. University Police subsequently joined with the Sheriff's Office to co-sponsor all the training offered by the Academy.
The Academy was renamed SUNY Oneonta Law Enforcement Academy in 2024 and has again been re-vamped and designed to serve cadets both pre-employment (Phase I) and employed (Phase II) while earning the Basic Course for Police Officers Certificate. This new Phase I will allow students and community members seeking a law enforcement career to gain pre-employment certification to accelerate entrance into the field. The Academy directly benefits the entire Central New York and Southern Tier region, but also provides basic and advanced training for agencies statewide.
The Academy continues under the direction and leadership of University Police Chief Dirk R. Budd, Primary Instructor, Joseph Galante, and considerable support from Schoharie County Undersheriff Bruce C. Baker.
Joseph Galante, Primary Instructor
Chief Dirk R. Budd, Interim Academy Director