Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES leaders chose the Ilion Police Department as the winner of their 2025 Outstanding Community Partner Award because the department helps provide safety and support in many ways for students and staff in the Herkimer BOCES region.
The Herkimer BOCES Pathways Academy at the Remington Educational Complex in Ilion has built a particularly strong connection with the police department.
“The Ilion Police Department has been an invaluable partner in ensuring the safety, security and well-being of Pathways Academy,” Pathways Academy Principal Cory Pike said. “Their unwavering dedication and proactive support have played a critical role in maintaining a safe learning environment for our students and staff.”
Herkimer BOCES presented the 2025 Outstanding Community Partner Award to the Ilion Police Department during the Herkimer BOCES 2025 Annual Meeting on Thursday, April 3, at the William E. Busacker Complex in Herkimer.
Ilion Police Chief Laurie DeVaul accepted the award from Pike during the meeting.
“This is such a nice honor and recognition for our department,” DeVaul said, at the meeting. “We’re all very proud of that.”
The Herkimer BOCES Annual Meeting also included Herkimer BOCES District Superintendent D.J. Shepardson speaking about BOCES to component district superintendents and school board members, Herkimer BOCES Board of Education President Holly Pullis welcoming guests, component superintendents introducing Herkimer BOCES Board of Education candidates for their districts, the presentation of a Student Spotlight award to student James Rathbun, Herkimer BOCES Culinary and Hospitality program students serving food and drinks they prepared and the Little Falls Concert Choir performing.
Shepardson also spoke about how helpful the partnership has been with the Ilion Police Department.
“They’re such a great partner to work with, and I’m really, really thankful,” he said.
‘Something so good’
During an interview in advance of the Annual Meeting, DeVaul said she felt surprised and honored when she found out the Ilion Police Department, which has 20 full-time employees and two part-time employees, was selected for the award.
“For this department and the people that work here, it is a big deal,” DeVaul said. “It’s nice to be recognized for something so good.”
Other ways the Ilion Police Department helps support the Herkimer BOCES region in addition to collaborating with the Pathways Academy include partnering with other local agencies to help students, working with Central Valley to assist the other school buildings in Ilion, participating in local career fairs, speaking to students from the Herkimer BOCES Rescue Heroes Summer Day Camp for female students interested in first responder careers, visiting Herkimer BOCES Criminal Justice students, hosting student interns at the police department and more.
“I’m just very proud of the department,” DeVaul said. “I’m very proud of the people that work here.”
DeVaul pointed out that she is just one member of the Ilion Police Department and that all the individual employees make a difference. She also shared her appreciation for all the other law enforcement agencies in the region and the school resource officers or school patrol officers at local schools.
“This department and every police department that interacts with young people, I’m very proud of all of them,” DeVaul said. “I think Herkimer County’s got very dedicated, hard-working police officers.”
‘Stepped up’
The Herkimer BOCES Pathways Academy is an alternative education school that focuses on students from component districts who have had a difficult time in a traditional school structure or have to catch up on credits but have the ability to get a high school diploma. Pathways Academy classes are project-driven and infuse career and technical education.
For the majority of the 2023-24 school year, the Pathways Academy didn’t have a designated school officer from the Herkimer County Sheriff’s Office as it has other years, Pike said.
“In response, the Ilion Police Department immediately stepped up, increasing their presence through more frequent walk-throughs, maintaining open lines of communication and offering as much support as possible—all while balancing their many other important responsibilities throughout the community,” Pike said.
The 2023-24 school year was also Pike’s first as principal of the Pathways Academy, so having the police as a resource was very helpful, he said.
“Their responsiveness, professionalism and commitment were evident whenever we reached out with concerns or requests for assistance,” Pike said. “More importantly, when interacting with our students, the officers of the Ilion Police Department demonstrated respect, understanding and a restorative approach – always prioritizing the students’ needs and working toward de-escalation when necessary.”
‘Every effort’
DeVaul said it’s important for officers to know how to respond to students.
“I know officers here recognize the sensitivity with handling children on these calls – not just at Pathways, but the other school settings as well,” DeVaul said. “Officers are very much aware of sensitivity, confidentiality and the importance of treating them with kindness and showing them that we’re there to help; we’re not the bad guys.”
Ilion police don’t just respond to calls but also try to do daily checks at each school in the village: Pathways Academy, Central Valley Academy and Barringer Road Elementary School. If they have time, officers will do a daily walkthrough at each school, but if they don’t, they will try to at least make their presence known by stopping by outside the school.
“The officers are very dedicated, and they truly do make every effort to stop in there and just do a walkthrough,” DeVaul said. “It’s reassuring for the kids – they see us. We want them to see us as somebody that they can trust. And that’s in all the buildings.”
When police pull up at a school building, people might assume something negative has happened, but that’s not always the case – it could be for a walkthrough or to interact with students and staff, DeVaul said.
“Many times, we’ve gone to Pathways, and the students are happy to see the police,” DeVaul said. “I think our presence in the schools is a positive reinforcement of the fact that we care and that they matter.”
Ilion police have been happy to stop by and participate in school programs or activities as well, DeVaul said.
“It’s not just negative interaction with the students that we go there for,” DeVaul said. “There’s positive interaction as well. That’s very helpful when we’re responding to a student’s home at a later time. They remember the officers. So that contact is good to have with students, and not just at Pathways, but all the school settings.”
When responding to a call at school, home or elsewhere involving a student, police put in the work to follow up and help. For example, police work with Child Protective Services and the Child Advocacy Center when there is a case that would warrant their involvement, DeVaul said.
School, the police and other agencies in the county are all part of the community support system for students, DeVaul said.
“We’re making sure that they get the help they need,” she said. “We can’t just drive away.”
‘Mutual support’
Ilion police make sure to let staff and administrators at all school buildings in the village know they’re there to help, DeVaul said, noting that they’re all excellent to work with.
“We’re very grateful for that relationship,” DeVaul said, noting that – like police – teachers and school administrators have challenging and important jobs. “Those individuals are just as inspiring. Our ability to help a student really depends on that teacher or administrator in the school, and there are so many wonderful teachers and administrators in those buildings.”
Additionally, teachers, staff and administrators play a large role in helping police when they need to respond to a call about a student, DeVaul said.
“They know them a whole lot better than we do, so having the ability to go there, many times, we follow their lead,” DeVaul said. “It’s a partnership. We rely on them. We do everything we can to help support them.”
Pike said the level of commitment from police to support students and the school is very meaningful.
“This partnership between the Ilion Police Department and Pathways Academy is more than just a working relationship – it is a foundation of trust and mutual support that directly contributes to the success of our school and the safety of our students,” Pike said. “I am deeply grateful for their dedication, and I look forward to continuing and strengthening this important collaboration.”
‘Sharing that positivity’
When DeVaul posted information for officers interested in helping out with the Herkimer County Counselor Association’s annual Career Fair in partnership with the Genesis Group and Herkimer BOCES School to Careers on March 13 at Herkimer Middle-High School, three members of the department signed up immediately, and a fourth ending up joining.
That is just one example of many similar situations and shows how much officers enjoy supporting students, DeVaul said.
“That is so rewarding – especially when you get to share your job, what you do every day, how wonderful it can be, DeVaul said. “Yeah, there’s things that aren’t so wonderful, but there’s a lot of our job that we gladly share with students and want them to be as excited about maybe being a police officer as all of us were – and still are.”
In August 2023, the Herkimer BOCES Rescue Heroes Summer Day Camp for female students interested in learning about first responder careers, visited the Ilion Fire Department to hear from DeVaul and Ilion firefighter and emergency medical technician Mary Reece, who is a 2010 graduate of the Herkimer BOCES Criminal Justice program.
“To me, it was great. It was such a privilege to be able to talk to people who are thinking about going into this career – and as female officers, what that was like for me and what it’s like now,” DeVaul said. “We have four women officers not counting myself that work here, and you are seeing more women entering this field. It’s a positive thing, and sharing that positivity with students who are thinking about what they want to do for the rest of their lives, it’s really a pleasure to have that chance to do that and answer their questions. That group of students, they were wonderful to deal with. It was a lot of fun interacting and speaking with them, when we did that.”
Herkimer BOCES School to Careers liaison MaryBeth Napolitano said STC has had the privilege of working with the Ilion Police Department over the past decade to support STC’s career awareness, exploration and development initiatives and the Rescue Heroes Summer Day Camp. The STC team wholeheartedly appreciates the department’s service, she said.
“Building strong community relationships is crucial to a productive society,” Napolitano said. “The Ilion Police Department represents professionalism, honor, dedication and genuine commitment to our mutual mission, aligned goals and expectations. We are incredibly grateful for the partnership we have developed with the Ilion Police Department and look forward to working together on many more successful ventures.”
‘Hope we inspire’
DeVaul also visited the Herkimer BOCES Criminal Justice program a couple of years ago to speak to students. She remembers the students being great, attentive, excited and asking a lot of questions. With some of them, you could tell they would become police officers, she said.
“They didn’t have the Criminal Justice program when I was in high school,” DeVaul said. “I would have loved to have done that. I think so many students over the years that later became police officers – some of which have worked here – attended BOCES to participate in the Criminal Justice program and really had quite an eye-opening experience learning about police work and what duties are related to that type of career. I think it’s wonderful that they get them involved. They’re out there doing all kinds of stuff. It’s fun for them. It’s fun for us to help them learn those skills too.”
The Ilion Police Department has also hosted interns from the Criminal Justice program and from college. DeVaul knows how important that can be because she participated in an internship with the Mohawk Police Department through Herkimer College and that made quite an impression on her, she said.
“There’s been a lot of students and interns who have spent time with us over the years,” she said. “I hope we inspire them – not just help them learn and educate them in this career field – but I hope we also inspire them. I feel that we do.”
Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Pathways Academy Principal Cory Pike (left) and Ilion Police Chief Laurie DeVaul pose together during the Herkimer BOCES Annual Meeting on Thursday, April 3, after Pike presented DeVaul with the Herkimer BOCES 2025 Outstanding Community Partner Award for the Ilion Police Department.
Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Pathways Academy Principal Cory Pike speaks about the Ilion Police Department as Ilion Police Chief Laurie DeVaul looks on during the Herkimer BOCES Annual Meeting on Thursday, April 3. During the meeting, Herkimer BOCES presented the Ilion Police Department with the Herkimer BOCES 2025 Outstanding Community Partner Award.
Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Pathways Academy Principal Cory Pike speaks about the Ilion Police Department as Ilion Police Chief Laurie DeVaul looks on during the Herkimer BOCES Annual Meeting on Thursday, April 3. During the meeting, Herkimer BOCES presented the Ilion Police Department with the Herkimer BOCES 2025 Outstanding Community Partner Award.
Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES District Superintendent D.J. Shepardson speaks on stage during the Herkimer BOCES Annual Meeting on Thursday, April 3, at the William E. Busacker Complex in Herkimer.
The Little Falls Concert Choir performs at the Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Annual Meeting on Thursday, April 3, at the William E. Busacker Complex in Herkimer.
Students in the Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Culinary and Hospitality Program, who prepared and served food and drinks during the Herkimer BOCES Annual Meeting on Thursday, April 3, at the William E. Busacker Complex in Herkimer, introduce themselves on stage during the meeting.
Herkimer-Fulton-Hamilton-Otsego BOCES Board of Education President Holly Pullis speaks on stage during the Herkimer BOCES Annual Meeting on Thursday, April 3, at the William E. Busacker Complex in Herkimer to congratulate 2025 Student Spotlight Award winner James Rathbun.