Dedication of the new Court Officers Academy
Photo: Hon. Janet DiFiore speaking at the Court Officer Academy opening.
On Monday, December 3rd, 2018, Chief Judge Janet DiFiore and Chief Administrative Judge Lawrence K. Marks joined court, local and State officials to inaugurate a state-of-the-art training facility dedicated to the memories of three heroic New York State Court Officers who perished in the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks.
The new New York State Unified Court System Captain William H. Thompson Sergeant Thomas Jurgens and Sergeant Mitchel Wallace Court Officers Academy in Crown Heights, Brooklyn will serve as the primary training center for some 4,000 New York State Court Officers who, comprising one of the largest law enforcement agencies nationwide, work to ensure the State’s courthouses are safe and conducive to the fair administration of justice.
The new training academy, which sits on the former site of the St. Theresa School, comprises buildings that once housed classrooms, an auditorium and gym. Combined, the structures ̶ which were fully renovated from the floor plates to the roof and equipped with new elevators, energy-efficient windows, energy-efficient heating, cooling and ventilation systems, and the latest teaching-oriented and training technology, among other features ̶ measure approximately 60,000 square feet.
One portion of the facility is a four-story structure that has been remodeled to contain five classrooms, a conference room, administrative offices and locker room facilities. The former site of the school’s auditorium and gym was converted into a two-story structure and remodeled to include a new lobby, large classroom, and multi-purpose gym and training area featuring a retractable wall and locker room facilities. The two once-separate structures are connected by a newly built second-story bridge.
Photo: Families pose with plaque at the Court Officer Academy.
The new facility was customized to provide an optimal training experience, both for newly recruited officers undergoing basic training and veteran officers of all ranks refreshing their skills in critical areas.