Westchester Police Academy Graduates 38 Recruits Bound for 12 Departments

WESTCHESTER COUNTY, NY — A ceremony marking and achievement by dozens, will ultimately benefit us all.

Thirty-eight recruits, including eight from the Westchester County Police, graduated Friday from the Westchester County Police Academy and are now headed to 11 departments in Westchester and one in Putnam. The graduates completed 22 weeks of training at the academy in Valhalla before receiving diplomas at the SUNY Purchase Recital Hall in Purchase.

County Executive Ken Jenkins and Public Safety Commissioner Terrance Raynor presented diplomas to the graduates of the 161st Session of Basic Recruit School. According to the county, the recruits completed both physical and academic training at the academy before Friday's ceremony.

“These recruits were required to bring their best effort to the Academy every day. Nothing less would be accepted. Their presence at this graduation ceremony is proof they kept their end of the bargain,” Jenkins said.

Jenkins also addressed family members who attended the ceremony and thanked them for their support of the new officers.

“I know you are proud of these new officers. And I know there will be times you will worry about them. My dad was a police officer and I am familiar with those emotions, and more, when a loved one serves in law enforcement,” he said.

Raynor told the graduates to focus on how they treat the public as they begin their careers.

“Most of the people you encounter will never remember your rank, your assignment, or how many arrests you made. What they will remember is how you treated them. They will remember whether you listened, whether you showed compassion. They will remember whether you treated them with dignity and respect. Never underestimate the impact of a simple act of professionalism and kindness,” he told the graduates.

The graduates will join Westchester County, Putnam County, Eastchester, Harrison, Mamaroneck Village, Mount Vernon, New Rochelle, Scarsdale, Tuckahoe, White Plains, Yonkers and Yorktown. Westchester County's eight graduates were Mehdi Abirou, Javier De La Cruz, Hugo Ortiz, Terrance Raynor, Shane Repp, Anthony Riccobono, Sean Trenholm and Julia Tucciarone.

Other graduates included Declan Busche and Robert Noble for Putnam County; Charles Anastos for Eastchester; six recruits for Harrison; one each for Mamaroneck Village, Mount Vernon and Tuckahoe; six for New Rochelle; two for Scarsdale; three for White Plains; five for Yonkers; and two for Yorktown. The county said the new officers are now headed to work in their assigned departments.