Week 1 recap of the Vestal Youth Academy, High School session. 

Youth Police Academy – High School Session Kickoff!

Today we officially launched the High School session of our Youth Police Academy! This two-week program is off to an exciting start, and we’ll be sharing updates along the way—so stay tuned!

We were honored to welcome local strongman Bill Clark, who brought the energy with a motivational speech and some jaw-dropping feats of strength!

Bill wowed the group by:

Ripping a deck of cards in half

Tearing a license plate in two

Driving a nail through a board using only his hands!

A huge thank you to Bill for helping us kick off Day 1 with power and inspiration!

 Vestal Youth Police Academy Day 2! Today, over 50 students participated in physical fitness training followed by defensive tactics instruction. After mastering the fundamentals, we conducted scenario-based exercises to apply our newly acquired skills.

Day 3: Today we highlighted the exceptional work our emergency services partners undertake for our town on a daily basis. We received a visit from the Vestal Fire Department and Vestal Volunteer Emergency Squad, Inc.. In addition to demonstrations by fellow first responders, the cadets participated in a Jenga exercise utilizing the jaws of life, experienced the smoke house, and observed a live vehicle fire. To culminate the event, Lifenet flew into town and spent time with us, providing our cadets with a front-row view of a helicopter landing and takeoff. We toured the helicopter, posed questions, and gained insight into the vital role they play in our community. Of course we had to earn all of this with a physical training session but it looks like it was worth it!

Day 4 of the YPA: We visited the Broome County District Attorney's Office and county court, where we met with District Attorney Paul Battisti, Judge Faughnan, and Judge Cocchiola, who graciously took time from their busy schedules to address the cadets. We also visited Funky Beez, which generously donated lunch and ice cream. Additionally, our Emergency Preparedness Coordinator, Tom McCartney, delivered a presentation, giving our cadets a better understanding of what goes on during critical incidents.

We completed our first week with the High School cadets today. Following morning PT, we concentrated on traffic stops, positioning the cadets in our roles to initiate vehicle stops, make the approach, and arrest our SRO’s. Cardz was arrested for his chosen hairdo, which is in clear violation of department policy.

We also learned about the dangers of impaired and intoxicated driving, utilizing “drunk goggles” to complete simple tasks like drive a pedal cart or stack cups. We also utilized a driving simulator from Safe Drive Solutions.

Great job by all this past week. Enjoy the weekend!