Stop These Skills are Putting Aspiring Law Enforcers on Path to an Arresting Future

    Ian Vilegi, Alissa Duncan on practice traffic stop

SCHOHARIE – Aspiring law enforcers practiced their felony traffic stop skills recently at Capital Region BOCES Career and Technical Education Center.

Seniors in retired state trooper Darin Jones’ Criminal Justice program acted out various scenarios, and received immediate feedback from Jones, as they prepared for their futures.

During one scenario, students assumed the part of a police officer pulling over a vehicle, removing a “suspect” from the vehicle and placing the suspect in handcuffs. Throughout the scenario, the high school seniors maintained radio contact with a “dispatcher” and received backup from a classmate.

“BOCES is great because the people are really friendly and Mr. Jones shares so much of what he has learned working in law,” said Joe Nedelsky, who attends the program from Sharon Springs.

Guilderland senior Evan Lahera practiced the role of arresting officer in at least one of the scenarios.

With his eyes firmly set on the goal of becoming a state trooper in three years, Lahera shouted commands at a classmate who was practicing the part of a felon who had just been pulled over.

“I like the hands-on learning and real-life scenarios we do at BOCES,” Lahera said. “It’s what makes the program great. That and the fact that we are learning the basics of what the job entails.”

Traffic stops and arrests are some of the dozens taught during the two-year program that is offered on the Schoharie and Albany campuses. The approximately 100 students enrolled in it each year learn about the history, theory, practices and recent developments in the field of criminal justice, as well as hands-on skills such as fingerprint collection, radio use, arresting and handcuffing and dealing with safety hazards and emergencies.

For more information on the Criminal Justice program, go to https://www.capitalregionboces.org/career-technical-education/courses-programs/criminal-justice/.