Assemblywoman Marianne Buttenschon (D-Utica/Rome) hosted Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes for a tour of the Mohawk Valley Police Academy on Friday. The tour allowed Buttenschon and Peoples-Stokes to meet with Sheriff Rob Maciol, Deputy Chief Ed Noonan, academy directors, and faculty. The assemblymembers had the opportunity to review the practices and training at the police academy and speak with the recruits.

“The Mohawk Valley is home to countless, remarkable law enforcement officers who show up to work every day to ensure our families are safe. The Mohawk Valley Police Academy goes above and beyond to include education and training to ensure that each recruit is well-equipped to deal with our increasingly diverse communities. It was a pleasure to have Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes here to learn more about the Academy and speak with some of our community’s law enforcement officials and, of course, the recruits,” said Buttenschon. “Touring the Police Academy provided a platform for us to reconfirm the important role law enforcement provides us and to provide insight into their training process and the myriad of subjects our officers undergo to better serve our community.”

The Mohawk Valley Police Academy is administered by the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office and the Utica Police Department and is located on the campus of Mohawk Valley Community College in Utica. The Accredited Police Academy provides police recruit training and in-service training for law enforcement agencies in the central New York region and has earned a reputation as one of the premier law enforcement training facilities in New York State.

During the tour of the Mohawk Valley Police Academy, Assemblywoman Buttenschon and Majority Leader Peoples-Stokes had the opportunity to meet with the new class of recruits and have a conversation with them. The Majority Leader also had the opportunity to meet with Oneida County Sheriff Robert M. Maciol and Deputy Chief Ed Noonan of the Utica Police Department. They discussed the training that officers are required to go through and additional education and at the Mohawk Valley Police Academy and highlighted the steps that local law enforcement agencies have taken in order to build stronger relationships with their communities. Deputy Chief Noonan also discussed the City of Utica and the Utica Police Department’s recent decision to begin posting UPD personnel records on the City’s website and the City initiatives to work with the community to solve issues of gun violence.

"It's refreshing to have representatives from Albany, like Assemblywoman Marianne Buttenschon and Majority Leader People-Stokes, willing to meet and engage in productive dialogue with the professionals who are working directly in the field. These representatives are responsible for making laws and offering legislation that directly impacts our area. To meet with recruits and learn how training procedures and new developments are taking place provides a valuable perspective," Deputy Chief of Police, Ed Noonan, stated. "I'm grateful for Asemblywoman Buttenschon and her continued support of law enforcement. Her efforts to assist law enforcement and keep our community safe is imperative to our officers and everyone within the community."

Assemblywoman Buttenschon noted that she believes this visit will shine a light on the successes of the Mohawk Valley Police Academy, and help to shape meaningful future discussion and best practices when it comes to our state-wide law enforcement agencies and the work that they do within our communities.

The Police Academy is not new to Buttenschon as a former dean at Mohawk Valley Community College her duties included working with state and local agencies and the leadership at the Police and Fire Academies. She also assisted in the development of the Pre-employment Police Program and the Utica Fire Academy that affords students college credits for their attendance at the academies as well as outstanding training and educational opportunities.