State Police Troop C seeks local recruits

Aug. 29—The State Police are recruiting new members and Troop C Commander Major Jeffrey A. VanAuken would like to see more local residents apply.

VanAuken said he grew up in Broome County and joined the State Police following active military service, including serving during Desert Storm. He was assigned to Troop C and worked out of the Endwell, Kirkwood and Owego barracks.

Troop C encompasses Broome, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Otsego, Tioga and Tompkins counties and is broken into three zones. Zone 1 covers Chenango, most of Delaware and Otsego counties; Zone 2 covers Broome and a small section of Delaware County and Zone 3 covers Cortland, Tioga and Tompkins counties.

VanAuken said it's important to have troopers who have grown up in the area because they not only know the roads and area they are serving, but also the people and the communities too.

"They know the people, the nuance of the community and its citizens," he said. "When people hear they grew up in the area and are part of the community they receive better trust from the public."

Lt. Josh Greenman grew up in Otego and graduated from Unatego Central School. He said he decided to become a state trooper when he was a senior in college taking courses "on a completely different career path," because he wanted to give back to the community. He was a volunteer with the Otego Emergency Squad and would interact with troopers at accidents. "The way they carried themselves; they were always professional and polite and got the job done," he said.

He went through the State Police Academy and graduated in 2008 just before the state declared a hiring freeze. He passed three other state police tests and was hired by the Maryland State Police. Three years later he applied again to the New York State Police and had to go through the academy a second time before he was assigned to Troop C. He said working in the area he grew up was easier than working in Maryland because he knew where places were. "Someone coming from the Buffalo area would have no idea of where things were," he said. "When I went to Maryland, I knew nothing." He had to learn where things were and about the culture. "I'm glad I'm home," he said.

He said troopers can spend 20 years as a patrol officer, or they can become an investigator like he has. "There is a lot of opportunity for career progression and opportunity," he said. "You can have five or six different jobs without leaving the state retirement system."

VanAuken agreed, "It's not just highway patrol. There is a lot of upward mobility," and different areas officers can work in including underwater rescue team, forensics, computer crimes, collision reconstruction, drones, K-9 and Special Operations Response Team.

VanAuken said the State Police have changed some of the criteria for applying to become a trooper. People must be 20, have a high school diploma or GED and be a U.S. citizen when they enter the academy. The maximum age one can join without active military experience is 34, with active military experience is 42.

At graduation, people must have 60 college credits, he said. If a person has spent 20 years or more in active military duty or if they have passed a certified police officer training course, 30 college credits are needed to graduate the academy.

He said recruiters travel to local colleges to encourage students to join the academy. Students majoring in criminal justice and sociology make great troopers. "A lot of our job is conflict mediation," he said.

In addition to the age requirements being lessened, the tattoo policy was changed, he said. Before, tattoos couldn't go past the sleeve on a short sleeve shirt, but as long as they're not offensive they can go below the short sleeve. Tattoos on hands, except for a band around a finger, and the face and neck are still banned. "It's becoming more mainstream," he said. "This will broaden our pool quite a bit."

Anyone who is interested in becoming a trooper can visit joinstatepolice.ny.gov, or call Troop C recruiter Trooper Lauren Warner at 607-561-7400. The application deadline is Oct. 1.

Vicky Klukkert, staff writer, can be reached at vklukkert@thedailystar.com or 607-441-7221.