Lt. Andrew Cota, will be leaving next week for a 10-week training program at the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Va.
The exclusive leadership course will expose Cota to police from around the planet. He’ll receive college credit for the police classes.
He’s only the second active member of the Ansonia Police Department to receive the training. Chief Kevin Hale graduated from the FBI Academy in 2001.
Cota, a married father with two sons, recently sat down with the Valley Indy to talk about law enforcement.
Valley Indy How old are you?
Lt. Cota: 40.
Valley Indy: How long have you been a police officer?
Cota: 18 years.
Valley Indy: Why did you become a police officer?
Cota: I grew up around it. My father was a police officer. (His father is retired Derby Police Chief Andrew Cota.) When I got out of high school, I went to school for electrical engineering. I decided it wasn’t what I wanted to do and switched over to criminal justice.
Valley Indy: What do you like about police work?
Cota: It’s unique. It changes a little each day. I’m happy I made the change.
Valley Indy: What’s the best part of the job?
Cota: There a lot of things. Getting out there, being able to see cases from start to finish, get resolution on them, get arrests made and settle some things for some of the victims. We do the best we can.
Valley Indy: You’re now an administrator, having worked your way up from patrol.
Cota: I like having some say in the direction of the police department. Hopefully moving forward and being progressive.
Valley Indy: Can being a police administrator be more stressful than when you were out on the streets?
Cota: It’s a different stress. On the street, when problems happen, it’s stressful, but you react because you’ve been trained. As you move up, you become responsible for more people. It’s hard to get everyone on the same page and to get the word out to 40 other people.
Valley Indy: The chief said the FBI Academy is essentially leadership training. How do you think you’ll benefit.
Cota: I’m looking forward to getting the education. It’ll help me get my bachelor’s degree — I’m almost done. Two, it will allow me to see other police practices that are happening. When you’re in one area, you see what happens in front of you. Here, you get to speak to different officers from all over the country — even all over the world.
Valley Indy:Any mixed feelings about leaving the family for 10 weeks.
Cota: I’m proud to be selected. My wife and I have talked about it and we’ll get through it. Ten weeks sounds long, but it’s not a long time. My boys are both older, so it’ll be a little easier. When the chief went, his kids were all very small. It’s a once in a lifetime experience. My wife said there’s no way I can not take this chance. I think there’s only been three officers in department history that have done this.
Valley Indy We hear there’s a pretty tough physical training component.
Cota: I’ve been running, doing about five to six miles a day. I’ve been doing that since late last year, because I knew there was a good chance I would be going. I’m a little nervous because I’m not sure exactly what it is. Other officers have told me it’s demanding, but doable.
