Times Union – Kenneth C. Crowe II – Jan. 23, 2017
When Corey Otterbeck and Adam Harbour were sworn in as city police officers Monday morning, they were the first Troy Police Cadet Post alumni to join the force.
“I wanted to join from my junior year of high school,” Otterbeck said.
The six-year-old cadet program has shown young men and women from ages 14- to 21-years-old how local law enforcement operates.
“I have watched them grow up,” said Officer Ralph Southworth, one of the department members serving as a volunteer adviser.
Harbour and Otterbeck were among seven new officers sworn in Monday at City Hall to join the 130-member department. They will attend the six-month-long Zone Five Police Academy for training.
Troy Police Cadet Post 4102 currently has 18 members. It is sponsored by the Troy Police Department and is affiliated with the Northeast Regional Law Enforcement Educational Association.
As cadets, Otterbeck and Harbour, both 22, saw how policing works from inside the agency. They participated on ride-alongs with Troy officers and took part in other activities.
“As a cadet, I went through all the basics,” said Otterbeck, who attended Questar III in Troy for the criminal justice program in 11th and 12th grades. He graduated from Columbia High School and received an associate degree in criminal justice from Hudson Valley Community College.Read More
Harbour, who graduated from Troy High School and attended HVCC, said the cadet program encouraged him to pursue the goal of becoming a city police officer.
Chief John Tedesco said the Troy Police Cadet Post is a strong recruiting tool for the department and he would like to see more cadets apply to join the department.
“To us, this is everything we encourage. It’s a great program,” Tedesco said about Harbour and Otterbeck going through the civil service examination and the application process to be selected as officers.
When Otterbeck and Harbour applied, their experiences and interaction with the department were well known, Tedesco said. The officers who volunteer with the post were able to provide “a lot of feedback” about the two new officers, Tedesco said.
Also sworn in with Harbour and Otterbeck were Kevin Ray, 25, Jonathan Kebea, 26, Stephen Bell, 31, Joshua Szpila, 25, and Jalen Turner, 23.
“I’m glad we filled our department’s existing vacancies. We can’t shortchange our police department,” said Councilwoman Kim Ashe-McPherson.
Information about the Troy Police Cadet Post is available through its Facebook page @TPDcadetpost.