Pictured, back row left to right, are Officer Mike Patsos, Officer Joel Mercer, Officer Shane Prue, Officer Anthony Zappala and Sgt. Adam Wheeler. Pictured, front row left to right, are Officer Levi Taylor, Officer Austin Blodgett, Officer Nadia Diaz and Officer Emily Swartwout. (Please note: masks were removed for this photo only. Public health protocols were being followed.)
On Friday, the Syracuse University Department of Public Safety (DPS) held the 2021 Campus Peace Officer Academy Graduation at Drumlins Country Club. Colleagues, friends and family members joined the graduates as they completed the program by receiving their diplomas from Adam Wheeler, sergeant and academy director. The graduates include:
Zappala, the valedictorian, received special honors.
Blodgett, Diaz, Swartwout, Taylor and Zappala will become the newest officers on the DPS staff. Prue will begin his position at Onondaga Community College, and Mercer will join the New York State Inspector General’s Office.
The DPS graduates will now begin their time as field training officers, working side-by-side with veteran DPS officers as they complete their required 480 hours of training before becoming fully-qualified officers.
“We are proud of the work that the recruits have put in,” says Wheeler. “We look forward to the next phase of their training.”
