Suffolk County, NY - May 10, 2018 - Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, Suffolk County Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart, and Suffolk County Police Chief of Department Stuart Cameron will preside over the Suffolk County Police Academy graduation ceremony on May 10 at 10:30 a.m.
Seventy recruits have completed 29 weeks of academy training and have received more than 1000 hours of instruction on topics including law, emergency medical training, defensive tactics, domestic violence, mental illness, cultural diversity, emergency driving, firearms and terrorism.
The class consists of 56 Suffolk County Police recruits, of which approximately 45% have previous law enforcement experience, and 14 from outside and associated agencies.
The recruits have already made their mark in Suffolk County as they organized an internal food drive, which resulted in the donation of more than 200 pounds of food to Long Island Cares.
Approximately 21% of the recruits are of Hispanic heritage, including Samantha Ventura. Ventura was born in the United States and moved to the Dominican Republic with her family before returning to the United States when she was 4 years old. Her father remained in the Dominican Republic yet Ventura maintained a very close relationship with her father, who was tragically killed in 2014. After her father’s death, Ventura learned it was her father’s wish that she would one day become a police officer because he saw in her the necessary qualities and attributes. The journey has been difficult, but Ventura said she often thought of her dad, as well as her 6-year-old daughter, to help push her through the difficult times to graduate with her classmates.