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Savannah Tech Peace Officer Academy Honors Graduates

#1318 | October 12, 2012

Savannah Technical College Peace Officer Academy Honors Graduates

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

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

     These students 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 eleventh group of students to complete the program since its inception in 2009. To date, the program has graduated 139 P.O.S.T.-certified officers. Many candidates are in various stages of the application process with statewide agencies. 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 selected Advanced Patrol Officer (APO) Frank A. Kania. Officer Kania’s tour of duty ended on Thursday, May 24th 1979, when his patrol car was struck, head-on, by a drunk driver on Ogeechee Road near Savannah Speedway. The drunk driver crossed the center line, side-swiped the vehicle in front of Officer Kania, and then struck his vehicle. Officer Kania had served with the Chatham County Police Department for seven years and had previously served with the Savannah Police Department. He was 32 years old, at the time of his death, and was survived by his wife, daughter and two sons.

      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 Claire Pimentel at 912.443.5191 or cpimentel@savannahtech.edu.

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Peace Officer Academy Contact:
Claire Pimente:
912.443.5191
cpimentel@savannahtech.edu.

Media contact:
Amy Shaffer, APR:
912.443.5512
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).