Savannah Tech honors POA graduates of Kraverotis Cohort

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Eight students from the Savannah Technical College Peace Officer Academy were honored as program graduates with a completion ceremony.

The three men and five women 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 37th group of students to complete the program since its inception in 2009. To date, the program has graduated more than 400 P.O.S.T.-certified officers. Many candidates are in various stages of the application process with statewide agencies. All eight candidates have been hired by area police departments. STC’s Peace Officer Academy has a 97% 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 honors Deputy Sheriff Philip Kraverotis of Effingham County Sheriff’s Office, who passed away on August 6, 2020.  Deputy Kraverotis had served with the ECSO for 15 years and had served in various positions such as a jailer, explosive K-9 handler and as a Blue Coat.  He was survived by his wife, children, siblings, family and friends.

The College recently announced it will start an evening cohort for the Peace Officer Academy, which is a 30-week program running 6-10PM Mondays through Thursdays during summer/fall semesters (May 31 through December 5) at the College’s Crossroads Campus (190 Crossroads Parkway). While the majority of training will be at night, there is one week in the fall where students will be required to attend during the day for Emergency Vehicle Operator Course (EVOC) training. The night program will be split into two semesters with a week off between semesters in July.

Information sessions about the night cohort will be held at 6PM on April 12 and 14 at the Crossroads Campus. POST applications approval takes about a month, so applicants are encouraged to start the process early. POST approval must be received by May 20.

The Basic POST Certification Technical Certificate of Credit provides students with the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to become competent law enforcement officers. The 11-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 the office at 912.443.5191 or [email protected]. Group photo by Doug Currie.

The next night cohort begins May 31 and the next day cohort begins in July 2022.

#2242 | April 1, 2022

Peace Officer Academy: Nancy Jones
912-443-5191 or [email protected]

Media Contact: Amy Shaffer, APR
912.443.5512 or [email protected]