New York State Police amid recruitment drive

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) — The New York State Police (NYSP) are in the middle of a recruitment drive and looking to hire troopers to fill a variety of different positions.

NYSP has one of the largest agencies in the country and it offers a variety of different career paths once you’ve been sworn in as a Trooper. One highly sought-after opportunity is with the agency’s Special Operations Response Team (SORT).

"This is a unit that is the State Police’s SWAT team," said member Tommy Anticola. "So we perform all the additional SWAT duties, narcotics warrants, high-risk warrants. We’re also a search and rescue team."

SORT works closely with the State Police Aviation Division, utilizing several fixed-wing aircraft. The team mostly flies this helicopter for its missions. Sgt. Adam Marciniak says this enables them to do in the air what troopers can’t do on the ground.

"So we can cover areas very quickly, and we can not only cover I guess that area quickly, but we can transport our personnel very quickly from one place to another," Marciniak said.

Anticola shared some of the missions the SORT team has been involved in over the years.

"This unit was deployed down to Hurricane Katrina," Anticola said. "We spent time down in Hurricane Sandy helping people there. The big search in Dannemora for the escapees from the prison."

SORT Team member Josh Jones first became interested in the opportunity while talking to troopers at The Great New York State Fair who were operating a State Police recruitment center. After becoming a Trooper, he tried out for the team. He filled us in on some of his training.

"There’s a lot of rope work, tactical work, woodland work," Jones said. "You learn a lot of stuff in about six months once you’re in the school itself."

"We’re you know obviously canvassing for people out there," Marciniak said. "We’re gonna have the test here shortly if not they’re already doing it right now."

For more information about how to join the New York State Police, click here.