Welcoming the new cadets are, from left, Academy Director Sonny Duquette, St. Lawrence County Undersheriff Scott Bonno, Canton Police Chief Lori McDougal, Gouverneur Police Chief Laurina Greenhill, St. Lawrence County Sheriff Kevin Wells, Massena Police Chief Mark Labrake, Ogdensburg Police Chief Rick Polniak, Ogdensburg Police Lieutenant Harry McCarthy, Potsdam Police Chief Kevin Bates, SUNY Potsdam Deputy Chief Tim Ashley and SUNY Canton Deputy Chief Alan Mulkin.

CANTON -- The David Sullivan Police Academy Board of Directors and the SUNY Canton president recently welcomed new cadets into the 20th police academy.

The academy is held every January at SUNY Canton. The opening day ceremony was Jan. 5.

This year, officers from police departments in Norfolk, Norwood, Gouverneur, Ogdensburg, Malone, Saranac Lake, Tupper Lake, Lake Placid, and from the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department make up a class of 25 students.

The academy is 21 weeks of classroom training followed by eight weeks of field training. Once the field training is completed, the officers will receive state certifications in August, according to Director Duquette.

During training, the Canton-based academy will make use of 96 instructors from federal, state county, city and village police departments within the surrounding counties of St. Lawrence, Jefferson, Franklin and Essex.

Assisting in the instruction are SUNY canton criminal justice professors and retired police officers.