Law Enforcement Training Institute

The SUNY Potsdam Law Enforcement Training Institute is a landmark applied learning initiative, designed to provide students with the opportunity to complete a rigorous pre-employment, state-approved police training course as part of their undergraduate curriculum.

Students in an accredited New York State police basic course (colloquially a "police academy", though New York does not officially use this term) are trained in defensive tactics, emergency medical services, emergency vehicle operation, applying field sobriety tests to intoxicated individuals in a controlled setting, processing crime scenes, learning military drill and ceremony, and a plethora of other law enforcement training topics.

The New York State pre-employment basic police training curriculum is one of the very best in the country and is above the standard of most other curricula. SUNY Potsdam's Criminal Justice faculty have augmented this excellent curriculum to create an exceptional learning experience.

Applications

Applications for the annual Spring semester, which begins each January, may be submitted anytime between August and the end of November. The final deadline is November 30 each year. View additional application information.

View Rules & Regulations (PDF)

Program Overview

Read the ABC’s of the program, and be sure to contact our Police Academy Director Sonny Duquette (duquetar@potsdam.edu) for additional information.

About

• Terrific Resume Builder  
• One of only 11 schools in New York State authorized to pre-employment Police Basic Training, where students train alongside sworn officers and receive identical instruction. We are the only SUNY liberal arts college offering this program.
• Full Semester Academy: New York State Department of Justice – Office of Public Safety approved Municipal Police Officer Basic Training Academy (680 total contact hours), covering 95% of the full police academy curriculum.
• Seamless Transition: If hired during the academy, you complete the remaining 5% with your hiring agency. If not, your eventual hiring agency will finish the final phase if hired within 2-years of graduation.
• Spring Semester Only: Starts every January and aligns with the college’s academic calendar.
• Guaranteed Space: Our expansive training facility ensures no student has ever been turned away due to space limitations.

Benefits

• Students will complete 95% of the total requirements for attending a NYS Police Academy, prior to completing their undergraduate degree!
• Those who complete the academy will receive a college stamped transcript of “Pre-Employment Basic Police Training.”
• Students will receive 15 upper division credits towards the 45 required for the bachelor’s degree.

Core Eligibility Requirements

Enrollment Options 

Candidates may enroll in the Police Academy in one of two ways: 

• As a one-semester stand-alone program
• As part of a college degree program

College Degree Enrollment Requirements

Candidates enrolling as part of a college degree must: 

• Have junior or senior status or higher
  (Applicants may apply during their sophomore year and enroll during their junior or senior year.)

All Candidates Must: 

• Not have been convicted of a felony
• Be legally residing in the United States
• Successfully pass an interview with Police Academy Director Sonny Duquette