2026 Excelsior Challenge at the State Preparedness Training Cente...
The Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services today announced that more than 140 law enforcement professionals from 55 agencies across the state and nation took part in training to address active threat scenarios at this week’s Excelsior Challenge. Hosted at the State Preparedness Training Center (SPTC) in Oriskany, the 2026 Excelsior Challenge marks the tenth year of the annual exercise, which ran from September 28 to October 2. This year also marks the twentieth year the SPTC has been operational, offering state, local, and federal agencies a spectrum of opportunities for dynamic emergency first responder training.
"As public safety threats evolve, our training must evolve with them,” Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services Commissioner Terry O’Leary said. “The State Preparedness Training Center provides a world-class, reality-based environment where local, state and federal partners can align their tactics and build the trust necessary for seamless emergency response. This milestone tenth annual exercise underscores the State’s unwavering commitment to keeping New Yorkers safe."
During this year's event, participants rotated through six core scenarios based on real-world incidents that required a specialty team response, leveraging the entire 1,100-acre grounds of the SPTC. These scenarios work participants through incidents involving Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), complex barricaded subject situations, search and rescue and more.
The Excelsior Challenge is coordinated by DHSES’s Office of Counter Terrorism (OCT) and Office of Training. Additional support is received from the SPTC, the Office of Fire Prevention and Control (OFPC), the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) and the Office of Interoperable and Emergency Communications (OIEC).
Agencies who participated in this year’s Excelsior Challenge featured state, regional, and federal partners, including the New York State Police, the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police Department, the Amtrak Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s New York and Washington field offices, as well as the Peel Regional Police from Ontario, Canada.
Other participants included:
County Sheriff's Offices & Police Departments
- Broome County Sheriff's Office
- Cattaraugus County Sheriff's Office
- Chautauqua County Sheriff's Office
- Erie County Sheriff's Office
- Madison County Sheriff's Office
- Monroe County Sheriff's Office
- Nassau County Police Department
- Oneida County Sheriff's Office
- Onondaga County Sheriff's Office
- Otsego County Sheriff's Office
- Rockland County Sheriff's Office
- Saratoga County Sheriff's Office
- Suffolk County Police Department
- Westchester County Police Department
City, Town, & Village Police Departments
- City of Binghamton Police Department
- City of Buffalo Police Department
- Town of Cheektowaga Police Department
- Town of Clarkstown Police Department
- Town of Colonie Police Department
- Village of Depew Police Department
- Village of Endicott Police Department
- Town of Greece Police Department
- Town of Irondequoit Police Department
- City of Ithaca Police Department
- City of Jamestown Police Department
- City of Kingston Police Department
- City of Mount Vernon Police Department
- City of New Rochelle Police Department
- City of New York Police Department (Bomb Squad & Transit Bureau)
- Town of Orchard Park Police Department
- City of Peekskill Police Department
- City of Poughkeepsie Police Department
- Town of Poughkeepsie Police Department
- City of Rochester Police Department
- City of Syracuse Police Department
- Town of Ulster Police Department
- City of Utica Police Department (including METRO SWAT)
- City of White Plains Police Department
Out-of-State Agencies
- Connecticut: Stamford Police Department
- Florida: Seminole County Sheriff's Office
- Kentucky: Louisville Metro Emergency Services & Louisville Metro Police Department
- New Hampshire: New Hampshire State Police
- New Jersey: New Jersey State Police
- Oregon: Portland Police Bureau
- Rhode Island: Rhode Island State Fire Marshal's Office
- Vermont: Vermont State Police
- Washington, D.C.: Metropolitan Police Department
Since 2006, the Division has administered $60 million in federal Homeland Security grants to specialty law enforcement teams:
- Bomb Squads: $32.3M in non-competitive funding (since 2006)
- Explosive Detection Canine Teams: $8.6M in competitive funding (since 2009)
- Tactical Teams: $19.1M in competitive funding (since 2013)
To ensure seamless coordination during emergencies, these federal grants focus heavily on team interoperability. Annual hands-on training events like the Excelsior Challenge, Canine Week, and Tactical Week allow local teams to build trust and practice coordinated, real-world response efforts.
About the State Preparedness Training Center
New York State is home to one of the premier first responder training facilities in the nation – the State Preparedness Training Center (SPTC) in Oriskany. Located on 1,100 acres, the SPTC offers an extensive series of realistic training venues, a Swift Water and Flood Training (SWFT) venue, a 45,000-square-foot CityScape complex, and an Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) simulator. From classroom lectures and discussions to skill development lanes to reality and high-performance scenario-based training, the SPTC offers state, local, and federal agencies a spectrum of opportunities for dynamic emergency first responder training.
About the State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services
The Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services provides leadership, coordination and support for efforts to prevent, protect against, prepare for, respond to, and recover from terrorism, natural disasters, threats, fires and other emergencies. For more information, visit the DHSES Facebook page, follow @NYSDHSES on X, or visit dhses.ny.gov.
Get real time emergency and weather alert texts delivered directly to your phone. Text your county or borough of residence to 333111 to enroll now. Learn more at dhses.ny.gov/emergency-alerts.
NOTE: B-Roll of Training Available Here; Photos Available Here
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