(WENY) -- Thursday morning marked the 216th Session Graduation of 176 troopers from the Basic School of the New York State Police Academy. Every session gives out awards to troopers for different distinctions such as academic achievement and one recipient this year is right from our region.

In the 216th class, the Superintendent's Firearms Proficiency Award was given to 24-year-old Hunter T. Argetsinger of Elmira. Argetsinger achieved an average score of 250 out of a possible 250 during firearms training. The trooper graduated from Corning Community College where he received an associate’s degree in criminal justice. Before joining NYSP, he was an officer at the Elmira Police Department.

Argetsinger marks the second trooper in a row from the Southern Tier to win the award with a perfect score. In 2024, Tanner J. Rarrick of Painted Post was the award recipient. Like Rarrick, Argetsinger will also be assigned to our local Troop E.

Thursday's ceremony was held at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center in Albany and welcomed Governor Kathy Hochul and Superintendent Steven G. James for remarks.

Other awards given to troopers during the ceremony included the Academic Achievement Award, the Investigator Joseph T. Aversa Physical Fitness Award, and the Student Representative Award.

Now, the State Police ranks have increased to 5,034 sworn members. The 176 new troopers are set to report for field duty on either February 7 or February 10, depending on their platoon. Over the next 10 weeks, officers will be evaluated by senior Field Training Officers under a field-training program.