Orange County Police Academy Welcomes 22 New Recruits

On November 18, 2025 the Police Chiefs’ Association of Orange County welcomed 22 recruits to the Orange County Police Academy in the City of Middletown. The class is the 39th since 2004 and the first to attend under the academy’s new name, a change that Association leaders say reflects deeper coordination among local governments and county agencies.

The recruits will spend six months in a program combining classroom instruction with hands on training. Instructors from across the region will lead practical, and up to date skills training designed to prepare officers for patrol and investigative duties across the county. Upon graduation the recruits are slated to serve in the cities of Newburgh and Middletown, the towns of Crawford, Fallsburg and Warwick, the villages of Liberty, Monticello, Walden and Washingtonville, and with the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office.

Officials emphasized the institutional cooperation behind the renamed academy, noting partnerships among the Police Chiefs’ Association, local municipalities, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, the County of Orange and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office. Town of Crawford Police Chief Dominick Blasko, president of the Police Chiefs’ Association of Orange County, said, "The renaming of the academy highlights the strong partnerships between our local and county agencies and the shared commitment to developing well-trained, community-focused officers." Orange County Sheriff Paul Arteta added, "The Orange County Police Academy represents the very best of what can be achieved when local law enforcement agencies and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office work together. This new class of recruits will not only receive the highest level of training, but they will also carry forward our shared mission of service, integrity, and community partnership."

For Orange County residents the class affects local public safety capacity and continuity of community policing efforts. Departments that have struggled with vacancies can expect new officers to fill patrol and support roles within months, while the emphasis on regional instruction aims to standardize training across municipal boundaries. The academy’s name change and expanded cooperation also create a clearer pipeline for recruitment and deployment of personnel across the county, with potential implications for response times, community outreach and interagency operations.