Nov. 20—SANBORN — Niagara County Sheriff Michael Filicetti had a smile stretching from ear to ear Tuesday afternoon as the Niagara County Law Enforcement Academy celebrated its 50th year in business with a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new state-of-the-art academy. arts facility on the SUNY Niagara campus.
“We are entering a new era of law enforcement,” Filicetti said, “and I am excited to show you what that looks like.”
Flanked by the heads of all municipal law enforcement agencies in Niagara County, Filicetti opened the doors to the $8.3 million facility designed to provide a state-of-the-art training center to meet the current and future demands of preparing for public safety. professionals. It represents the largest investment in public safety ever made in Niagara County.
“It is only fitting that we cut the ribbon during the 50th anniversary of the Niagara County Law Enforcement Academy,” Filicetti said. “We look forward to many years of this great facility providing high-quality training to new recruits and corrections officers.”
The academy has already welcomed its first group of law enforcement recruits with the arrival of the 83rd Basic Training Class.
Among those present for the facility’s formal opening was retired Niagara County Sheriff’s Office Tech Sgt. Sam Trapasso. He was a 36-year veteran of the sheriff’s office and was part of the academy’s first basic training course in 1974.
Trapasso said comparing his academy facility to the new one was like comparing the “Stone Age” to modern times.
“Compared to the one-room classroom we had,” Trapasso laughed, “I’m very impressed.”
Trapasso, who worked to establish the first use of computers both in the sheriff’s office and in county government, said the technology in the new facility is “nothing short of amazing.”
“I thought we had the best of everything (in 1974),” he said. “I wish I could have had an academy like that.”
The academy project was a joint venture between Niagara County and the State University of New York (SUNY), with the City of Niagara Falls also providing some funding. The building is located on the west side of the SUNY Niagara campus, next to Parking Lot 4.
The two-story building measures 15,000 square feet and features offices, classrooms and locker rooms on the first floor. The ground floor is also equipped with a high-tech use-of-force simulator that can produce thousands of scenarios that officers may encounter during patrols.
Upon entering the first floor lobby, visitors are greeted by a video board that continuously displays photos of all of the academy’s basic training classes.
The second floor of the facility is equipped with movable walls so that both recruits and experienced officers can train for a wide range of reality-based tactical scenarios, including active shooters. It also has a simulated prison pod for training corrections officers and a large mat area for defensive tactics training.
The Law Enforcement Academy was founded in 1974 on what was then the Niagara County Community College campus. From 2011 to 2021, it moved to Niagara University, before returning to the now renamed SUNY Niagara campus with the announcement of construction of the new academy building in 2021. .
The academy is jointly administered by the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office and the Niagara Falls Police Department.
