From a partnership that was developed over eight years ago has come a leadership opportunity for Vestal students that has grown into much more. This past year, three new officers have joined the Vestal Police Department. All three are Vestal High School graduates, and all three devoted a few weeks of their summers to the Vestal Youth Police Academy!
Vestal Police Officers Alyssa Chapman (VHS Class of 2017), Bryant Mabee (VHS Class of 2018) and Justin Perez (Class of 2016) joined the department in March and August of 2020. All three attended the Youth Police Academy at Vestal High School, a collaboration between the Vestal CSD and Vestal Police Department designed to instill team-building, decision-making and leadership skills in students, while also fostering a trusting relationship between the students and community authority leaders.
Current Vestal PD Captain Stace Kintner remembers it well. He was the District's School Resource Officer at the time, and was proud to direct the first two-week academy during the summer of 2012. He and current YPA director Conor Talbut, one of three present-day District school resource officers, shared their thoughts about the Academy and their new hires in a recent video. To view the video, follow this link https://www.vestal.stier.org/VestalPDOfficersformerVestalYPACadets.aspx
The three new officers are also featured, and they share how their experiences in the Youth Police Academy prepared them for the actual basic police academy and their new careers. Officer Chapman, who attended the Youth Police Academy from 2013 – 2016, had an interest in law enforcement from the beginning. Officer Mabee, who attended from 2014 – 2018, came because of a friend. Finally, Officer Perez, who attended from 2013 – 2015, felt drawn to police work as his father was a state trooper in another state before they moved to Vestal.