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Savannah Tech Peace Officer Academy Graduates Largest Class

#1414 | October 11, 2013

29 candidates are now qualified to be POST-certified officers by state of Georgia

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

The six women and 23 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 thirteenth group of students to complete the program since its inception in 2009. To date, the program has graduated more than 165 P.O.S.T.-certified officers. Many candidates are in various stages of the application process with statewide agencies. Two 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 Sgt. John Joseph “JJ” Brown, of the Savannah Police Department. Sgt. Brown’s watch ended on Tuesday, April 14, 1981, when he was accidentally shot and killed by a fellow officer during a shootout with a suspect who had fired at the officers. The shooting occurred at the intersection of Liberty and West Broad Streets. Sergeant Brown had served with the Savannah Police Department for 21 years. He was survived by his wife and three 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, please contact Larry Stubbs at 912.443.5191 or lstubbs@savannahtech.edu.

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STC Peace Officer Academy Information: Larry Stubbs
912.443.5191 or lstubbs@savannahtech.edu

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

Savannah Technical College serves Coastal Georgia with quality, market-driven technical education with campus locations in Chatham, Effingham and Liberty Counties. Serving more than 10,000 credit and non-credit students annually, Savannah Tech offers nearly 150 different instructional programs in Aviation Technology, Business and Professional Services, Industrial Technology, and Health Sciences in addition to Adult Education classes, industry-specific training and continuing education. The College serves as an economic and community development partner for the region, offering corporate and customized training and assessment programs for business and industry.

Savannah Technical College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award associate degrees, diplomas and technical certificates of credit. Questions about the accreditation of Savannah Technical College may be directed in writing to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097, by calling (404) 679-4500, or by using information available on SACSCOC’s website (www.sacscoc.org).