The Department of Environmental Protection announced Thursday Morning it has a new place to train police recruits. Time Warner Cable News reporter Candace Dunkley explains why the new location is vital to protecting the New York City water supply.

KINGSTON, N.Y. -- It was the celebration of a new beginning Thursday morning. New York City Department of Energy Conservation representatives gathered at the former army reserve center in Kingston to announce that it is now the Staff Sgt. Robert H. Dietz DEP Police Academy.

The building will be used to train police recruits to protect the New York City Water supply.

“Protecting those lands is absolutely critical. The water serves 8.4 million people in New York City and another million people upstate in Westchester County and the Catskills,” said NYC DEP Commissioner Emily Lloyd.  

"They patrol by the foot, on vehicle, boats, helicopter. But basically they're protecting the water supply from crimes of pollution, terrorism and basically crime so it's a full range of activities,” said NYC DEP Deputy Commissioner of Police and Security Kevin McBride.

Previously the trainings were held at the DEP’s Kingston laboratory on smith Avenue.

“We’re a full fledged police academy, we have to do physical training, hand to hand combat, physical agility running and we had to do that in the parking lot because there was no room,” said McBride.

Now there is a drill floor for physical training, classroom space and more.

Mayor Shayne Gallo said this is also good news for Kingston’s economy and water infrastructure. "You’re going to get property taxes, you’re going to get sales taxes, you’re going to get the jobs. You’re going to then create a situation here at this site where you’re going to be generating revenue. Which will help the city coffers be able to provide the services necessary, including but not limited to infrastructure.”

But officials want people to take note of not only what the building does but who it is named after. Staff Sgt Robert H. Dietz is a Kingston native who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism in World War II. 

“Many of our employees felt strongly that this was really a place where sergeant Dietz had been honored for decades and it’s important to keep that connection. We also think that it’s a real inspiration to our police officers to think of someone who had that kind of courage and commitment.”