Peace Officer Academy Honors Graduates

26 candidates are now qualified to be POST-certified peace officers by state of Georgia,  13 have jobs with area police departments 

SAVANNAH – Twenty-six students from the Savannah Technical College Peace Officer Academy celebrated graduating from the program with a completion ceremony today.

The 11 women and 15 men have completed coursework containing the entire Georgia Peace Officer Standards & Training (P.O.S.T.) Basic Law Enforcement Training Course. Their successful completion of the program qualifies them to be state-certified peace officers.

This is the fourteenth group of students to complete the program since its inception in 2009. To date, the program has graduated 192 P.O.S.T.-certified officers. Many candidates are in various stages of the application process with statewide agencies. Thirteen candidates were hired area police departments recently. Savannah Tech’s Peace Officer Academy has a 98% placement rate.

Each cohort selects a fallen officer for whom the graduating class will be named. The cohorts have a tradition of giving the family of the fallen officer a challenge coin dedicated to the officer. A challenge coin is a symbol of an unbreakable bond of dedication and allegiance among military personnel and law enforcement officers. The challenge coin tradition started as a military tradition in World War I and was later adopted by law enforcement.

This cohort elected to honor Major Hansel Jenkins of the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office. Major Jenkins’ watch ended on April 19, 2013 after a long illness. He was survived by his wife, children and step children.

The Basic Law Enforcement Technical Certificate of Credit provides students with the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to become competent law enforcement officers. The 18-week cohort program utilizes classroom instruction pertaining to criminal justice theory and the prevailing principles of modern law enforcement, as well as practical application of pertinent enforcement skills. College coursework contains the entire Georgia Peace Officers Standards & Training (P.O.S.T.) Basic Law Enforcement Training Course so that successful completion of the program will qualify the student to be a state-certified peace officer.

For more information about the Peace Officer Academy visit www.savannahtech.edu/PeaceOfficerAcademy or contact Sheree Rogers at 912.443.5191 or srogers@savannahtech.edu.

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#1444 | May 2, 2014

 STC Peace Officer Academy: Sheree Rogers
912.443.5191 or srogers@savannahtech.edu.

 Media Contact: Amy Shaffer, APR
912.443.5512 or ashaffer@savannahtech.edu