News

Six police recruits positive for COVID

By Mike Donoghue
Correspondent
PITTSFORD, Vt. — At least six recruits attending the Vermont Police Academy basic course to become full-time law enforcement officers have tested positive for COVID-19, forcing the closure of the facility and moving to remote learning.

The class of 23 recruits — coming from the Vermont State Police, county sheriffs, municipal departments and University of Vermont Police — were due to graduate just before Christmas. That will be delayed, according to William Sheets, VPA’s interim director.

The 16-week basic academy class pivoted Monday to online learning, with the recruits getting instruction on their iPads from home for at least this week, Sheets said.

He said the positive tests came in a batch of so-called rapid tests. The officers will be re-tested Friday, Sheets said.

There were two cases reported initially on Saturday and the positives grew to four by Monday morning. The tally went to five and then six by late morning, Sheets said.

The class had started with 27 recruits, but four had been weeded out by last week.

The current class roster has 10 recruits from the Vermont State Police, two sheriff’s deputies, 10 from municipal police departments, and one university employee, according to Cindy Taylor-Patch, director of training.

Sheets said when graduation is conducted, it will be unlike past ceremonies with large celebrations. He said it will likely be just the graduates and VPA staff. Parents, spouses, significant others, police leaders and officers from the home departments of recruits will not be allowed to attend, Sheets said.

“There is too much at stake,” said Sheets, who was only appointed last month.

Sheets, of Colchester, is a retired major and executive officer with the Vermont State Police and was the vice chairman of the Criminal Justice Training Council from 2014 to 2017.

South Burlington Police Chief Shawn Burke, who has two recruits in the class, said he is pleased the academy staff had a plan in place to pivot if COVID became an issue. He said it was disappointing that the class was within two weeks of graduation and had to change.

Taylor-Patch said the last basic class in the spring was underway when COVID was just starting to surface. The academy, as a precautionary step, moved the recruits from the academy to the Best Western in Rutland for two weeks and conducted training through iPads before returning to Pittsford.

Sheets said before he was hired last month the training had been mandated that the recruits stay in single rooms at the academy. The recruits are allowed to go home on weekends.

Sheets said the academy is closed for all activities. He said training coordinators and staff were alerted. He said others, like cooks and building personnel were notified, but the thought was they did not have direct contact with the recruits.

The police academy also hosted 10 potential future recruits for various tests on Friday. They were notified of the positive COVID tests on Saturday, Sheets said.

Taylor-Patch said by Monday afternoon it had been determined there was no contact between the current students and the 10 potential officers that were in Pittsford for testing, including eight for the written exams and two for physical tests.

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