8 new Schenectady police officers graduate

PHOTOGRAPHER: Marc Schultz

Schenectady Mayor Gary McCarthy swears in 11 new Schenectady Police Department recruits at Schenectady City Hall rotunda on July 13, 2015. Eight of the recruits graduated from the police academy.

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The Schenectady Police Department is welcoming eight new police officers.

About 60 new Capital Region police officers participated in a graduation ceremony Thursday morning at Proctors. Eight of them are joining the Schenectady Police Department.

Back in July, 11 recruits were sworn in at Schenectady City Hall. Since then, three resigned from the Police Academy before graduating.

“One decided after the first week of the academy that police work wasn’t for him,” said Public Safety Commissioner Wayne Bennett. “Another resigned because he was unable to complete some of the standards.”

While the recruits were training at the academy, three police officers transferred into the Schenectady Police Department from other agencies.

The Schenectady police officers who graduated from the Zone 5 Police Academy are Daniel Coppola, Ross Flood, Steven Flood, Matthew LaPointe, Takeo Mosher, Christopher Palmer, Charles Rumfelt and Molly Winch.

Coppola, 21, is a graduate of the Christian Brothers Academy and earned an associate degree in criminal justice from Schenectady County Community College. He is continuing his studies at Siena College.

Ross Flood, 32, graduated from South Colonie High School and served as a sergeant in the Marine Corps. He is working to get his degree in criminal justice from Hudson Valley Community College.

His brother Steven Flood, 27, graduated from Colonie Central High School and also served in the Marine Corps. He attended Hudson Valley Community College and is now enrolled at Excelsior College.

LaPointe, 24, attended Schenectady High School and Schenectady County Community College.

Mosher, 24, graduated from South Colonie High School and attended both the University at Albany and Schenectady County Community College.

Palmer, 26, graduated from Niskayuna High School and attended the University of Northwestern Ohio. He later transferred and graduated from Hudson Valley Community College with an associate degree in occupational studies.

Rumfelt, 24, graduated from Scotia-Glenville Senior High School and attended SUNY Plattsburgh and Kaplan University. He has a bachelor’s degree in communications and has a certificate for Emergency Medical Technician from Hamilton Community College.

Winch, 24, graduated from Holland High School. She attended SUNY Oneonta and has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a bachelor’s degree in anthropology.

Bennett said five more recruits will be sworn in to the Schenectady Police Department on Tuesday.

Of the new recruits, one is a minority and one is a woman.

There are about a dozen black and Hispanic officers in the department and about seven female officers.

The new police officers bring the Schenectady Police Department to a total of 143, according to Bennett.

Bennett said the eight new police officers will participate in field training and ride with senior members of the department over the next two months.