Seven new recruits were sworn into the Syracuse University campus peace officer academy today by Syracuse Police Chief Joe Cecile. Cecile performed the swearing in of the academy recruits as an official welcome and endorsement of the joint law enforcement efforts in the University area, and to provide these campus peace officers with authority to enforce New York State law and local ordinances upon completion of their training.
The recruits sworn into today’s academy class are:
Pictured in the back row, left to right, are Chief Joe Cecile of the Syracuse Police Department, Steven Hutchinson, John Mazurwoski, Kevin Tucker, Aidan Welling, Alexandria Payne and Associate Vice President and Chief Craig Stone of the Department of Public Safety. Pictured in the front row, left to right, are Alison Gregor, Daquann Smith and Gabrielle Morrissey.
The seven individuals listed above are training to become Syracuse University peace officers. The eighth recruit, Steven Hutchinson, is training to become a member of the public safety team at Ithaca College. He was sworn in by Tompkins County Sheriff Derek Osborne on May 12.
Craig Stone, associate vice president and chief of the Department of Public Safety, addressed the families of the recruits. “Thank you for raising and mentoring them to this point. We can teach them what they need to know to do the job, but you taught them integrity, character and core values, which start at home,” he said.
Over the next 20 weeks, the academy challenges the recruits to technical, physical, classroom and field-based tests. Following successful completion of the academy, graduates will begin their field training with their respective field training officers for an additional 12 to 14 weeks.
“This is not just a job, you are starting your career here and along with that, you are joining a family,” said Sgt. Adam Wheeler, academy director. This is the sixth time that the Department of Public Safety has held its own campus peace officer academy.
The University’s Department of Public Safety provides round-the-clock protection to the Syracuse University campus. Through various patrol and crime prevention efforts, DPS partners with students, faculty, and staff to identify, recognize and eliminate crime hazards and risks within the campus community.
