Bedford Police Sergeant Headed to FBI Academy

Sgt. Melvin Padilla has accepted an invitation to attend the FBI National Academy, a training ground for law enforcement leaders across the country.

Nominated by Padilla will attend the selective program in Quantico, VA, for ten weeks beginning this July.  The academy accepts 250 people worldwide in each class, and runs classes four times each year.

"I'm excited—I definitely have aspirations to move up through the ranks of law enforcement, and this will help me do it," he said. "My goal is to keep learning and growing."

Hayes, himself a 2006 graduate of the academy, said he selected Padilla for his leadership skills.

"He has contributed to the effectiveness of this department in areas such as policy development, training, traffic safety, and other special projects," said Hayes.

The experience will be similar to collegiate life—Padilla will live in a dorm Monday through Friday for four months, take classes and complete papers. He said he'll be able to come home to his wife and son in Bedford on the weekends.

He'll study law, behavioral science, forensic science, terrorism, leadership development, communication, and health and fitness. Officers participate in leadership training, and share ideas, techniques, and experiences with each other, according to the Academy website. 

It's an opportunity he's thrilled to have.

"This is the highest level of training you can have in this country. It's a feather in my cap, and will count toward my college degree," he said.

Padilla received an associate's degree from the University of Phoenix and is working toward a degree in criminal justice from SUNY Empire State College. The Academy experience provide ten credits—which will leave him just shy of the bachelor's degree he expects to obtain in January 2013.

What he loves about police work is the unpredictability, he said. In the last several weeks, Bedford police have handled and

"It's never stagnant. The work keeps me mentally and professionally challenged," he said.

After graduating high school in his hometown of Poughkeepsie, he entered the U.S. Navy for six years, including a stint in Japan. Padilla attended the New York Police Department Academy and spent two years with NYPD working in the Bronx. Since joining the Bedford police department in 2002, he's been a patrol officer and patrol sergeant and now serves as the traffic safety coordinator and as an instructor in taser, defensive tactics, and firearms.

Hayes said he's proud to have the opportunity to send Padilla.

"I strongly believe that providing the best possible education and training for key members of the department has a long-term beneficial effect on the police department and therefore, our community," he said.