The Steuben County Sheriff’s Office was one of 46 different law enforcement agencies from across New York, Canada, and five other states that took part in the 8th annual Excelsior Challenge at the State Preparedness Training Center in Oneida County.
This year’s event played host to the largest contingent of law enforcement specialties to-date and focused on training to respond to current and emerging threats. The four-day exercise includes training hosted by law enforcement agencies at all levels of government, including the New York State Police; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and the New York Police Department.
Participants include 46 bomb technicians from all 13 FBI-accredited New York State bomb squads, 40 explosive detection canine handlers and 60 tactical team operators, forming seven task forces to respond to seven core scenarios.
The Excelsior Challenge helps increase operational coordination, communication and integration between bomb squads, explosive detection canine teams and tactical teams. The exercise reinforces skills practiced during previous events held at the State Preparedness Training Center such as Tactical Week, the Raven’s Challenge Bomb Squad Exercise, and Canine Week.
This year’s Excelsior Challenge utilized the support of expert instructors from 23 agencies. To help make the scenarios as real as possible, the exercise utilized more than 80 role players, including approximately 35 students from the University at Albany College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity.
Throughout the week, Excelsior Challenge participants rotated through a series of cutting-edge, contemporary scenarios including a high-speed crash with explosive materials, a response to Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) in a rural area, and a drone exercise.
This year’s Excelsior Challenge was dedicated to Lieutenant Michael Hoosock of the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office. Lieutenant Hoosock served as the bomb squad Commander of the Sheriff’s Office bomb squad and has served as both an instructor and an active participant in the Excelsior Challenge for many years, along with his teammates from the bomb squad. Lieutenant Hoosock was killed in the line of duty in April.
The following law enforcement agencies participated and/or taught throughout the Excelsior Challenge:
Federal Agencies
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF)
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), New York Field Office
State Agencies from New York
New York State Police
NYS Department of Corrections and Community Supervision
NYS University Police – Morrisville
MTA Police Department
Partners from Other States
Massachusetts State Police
New Jersey State Police
Rhode Island State Police
Vermont State Police
Portland Metro Bomb Squad (Washington State)
Partners from Canada
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Ottawa Police Service
Peel Regional Police (Ontario)
Local Agencies in New York
Albany Police Department
Binghamton Police Department
Buffalo Police Department
Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office
Cheektowaga Police Department
City of Kingston Police Department
City of Newburgh Police Department
City of Peekskill Police Department
City of Poughkeepsie Police Department
Colonie Police Department
Endicott Police Department
Erie County Sheriff’s Office
Monroe County Sheriff’s Office
Nassau County Police Department
New Rochelle Police Department
Niagara County Sheriff’s Office
NYC Department of Corrections
NYPD Bomb Squad
NYPD Transit Bureau
Oneida County Sheriff’s Office
Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office
Orange County Sheriff’s Office
Otsego County Sheriff Office
Rochester Police Department
Rockland County Sheriff’s Office
Rome Police Department
Steuben County Sheriff’s Office
Suffolk County Police Department
Syracuse Police Department
Troy Police Department
Utica Police Department
Warwick Police Department
Westchester County Police Department
“In an emergency situation, time is of the essence, and we are proud to host these immersive trainings so that first responders in any field have the knowledge they need to handle situations they may face in their lines of work,” Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services Commissioner Jackie Bray said. “The hands-on training at the State Preparedness Training Center is invaluable, and we are optimistic all participants of the Excelsior Challenge learned something new this week.”
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