BOCES criminal justice students take Army Combat Fitness tests

OLEAN – Cattaraugus-Allegany BOCES criminal justice instructor Tim Emley and Staff Sgt. Kyle Kinney of the New York National Guard put the Emley students through their training exercise last week.

Emley is in his 25th year of teaching criminal justice at BOCES – 20 years at Ellicottville BOCES and the last five at Olean Occupational Center. During most of that time, his teams have been engaging with members of the military, from recruiters to officers in several US service branches and the National Guard and Air National Guard, to prepare for military service. or law enforcement.

He said: “Almost every year we have tested the PT army.” “This is a law enforcement and military class. Students come with the expectation that one day they will join the military or become a law enforcement officer.”

Since Emley has taught at BOCES, more than 150 of his students have joined the military. About 75 men and women are in law enforcement or public safety uniforms across the country, he said.

He said: “This is what I have been producing for the past 25 years.

Emley said he understands that a career in the military or law enforcement is not for everyone. Class size may be 15 to 18 students at the beginning of the semester, but as the weeks progress, that number may drop to 10 to 14, he explained.

“I often say to them, ‘If you’re going to defend our country and maybe you want to wear a bulletproof vest and carry a gun for a living, you’d better be prepared,’ and I prepare them.” ,” he said.

As part of this arrangement, Emley said the classes do physical exercises four days a week – weight training on Mondays and Thursdays and running on Tuesdays and Fridays.

He said: “We are running in the snow and rain and very cold weather. “We don’t take weeks off just because the weather is bad. That is not character building.”

In the BOCES classroom, the curriculum is rigorous and has a law enforcement focus, Emley said, adding that he serves as both a basic training instructor and a police academy instructor. there are times when he can be difficult and difficult.

“Everything from introduction to criminal justice to search and seizure laws, criminal law to motor vehicle and traffic laws, crime scene investigations to injury rehabilitation and many more,” he said. “These kids have a huge obstacle on their way to law enforcement or the military from my program.”

A former officer in charge of the Portville Police Department for 10 years, Emley currently works part-time with the Cuba Police Department.

He explained: “When I get off those night or weekend shifts and have to go to school the next morning, I tell my students what happened. I tell them the language that was used on me. I tell them if I was spat in the face or wrestled to the ground or belittled. That gives them an idea of ​​what their job is. ”

Emley graduates have gone on to serve as court officers, probation and parole officers, state troopers, sheriff’s deputies and local police, county, state and local corrections officers as well as rangers, border patrol and environmental protection.

“Every kind of law enforcement is there,” he added. His students serve all over the country, “as far as Port Arthur, Texas; Colorado; Kansas City; Tennessee; Kentucky; North and South Carolina, just to name a few states, and of course New York state,” Emley said.

The Army Combat Fitness Workout asked how many participants could do push-ups in two minutes and how long a participant could do a plank (holding your body in a straight line when you keeping your elbows and fingers relaxed) aim for at least three minutes. . Then they run a two-mile race – eight laps around the Olean High School track from Wayne Street.

“The kids have been running for the last two months, doing planks and push-ups, among many other things,” Emley said. Other exercises they do include box jumps, kettlebell squats, chin-ups and more, rotating during classes.

Emley expressed his gratitude to the Olean school district and Athletic Director Steve Anastasia for hosting the class for their evaluation and to Kinney for spending three to four hours with the group. song.

“It was great,” he added. “Thank you so much to the military men and women who come to recruit my students. Many of them have helped me a lot over the years, and I can’t thank them enough.”

In addition to his years in law enforcement and teaching this group at BOCES, Emley also presents the annual COP Olean Camp each year, which is one of the largest shows in the best law enforcement in the country.