Sixteen cadets graduate from BLET program
By From staff reports
Published in News on August 22, 2016 1:46 PM
Wayne Community College graduated its 68th Basic Law Enforcement Training, BLET, class during recent ceremonies. The 16 cadets who completed the college's academy received certificates to work as sworn law enforcement officers in North Carolina.
Certificates were conferred on Christina Atkinson, Elliot Best, Kristopher Campbell, Phillip Durham, Devon Eakes, Jennifer Howington, Shatana Jones, Robert Mitchell, Travis Musselman, Milburn Powers Jr., Ethan Price, Jacob Sasser, Chase Serlick, Glen Stevens, Charles Taylor and Alexander Torres.
Awards were also presented to graduates for outstanding performance in various training areas.
Taylor was named valedictorian for demonstrating excellence in both practical and academic areas of training. WCC Law Enforcement Training Coordinator Angie Blizzard said he had not only the top academic average but also the best overall attitude in and out of class.
The physical fitness award went to Powers, who excelled in all activities designed to prepare the recruits for the Police Officer's Physical Ability Test and timed runs. Goldsboro Police Department Investigator Sgt. Karl Rabun, one of the academy's physical fitness trainers, noted that Powers was "the definition of teamwork" and "showed leadership time after time," encouraging his fellow cadets through demanding routines.
Durham was presented the "Top Gun" award for demonstrating the most overall proficiency in use of firearms. Cadets complete 48 hours of firearms work in both the classroom and on the firing range. Trainers Sgt. Michael Sweet of the Goldsboro Police Department and Lt. Richard Blizzard of the Wayne County Sheriff's Office commented on how Durham stood out from the rest of his class with his marksmanship skills.
Durham also received the leadership award. As a co-leader during the academy, he was responsible for keeping the recruits in compliance with college rules and regulations, and functioned as the liaison between his classmates and instructors and the college. Powers served as the other leader.
Ms. Jones was acknowledged for receiving the 2016 Outstanding Student Curriculum Award for the college's Criminal Justice Technology program in an earlier ceremony.
Durham and Powers were selected by their peers to speak during the ceremony. Both talked about the rigors of the program, the dedication and sacrifices of their loved ones and friends that allowed them to complete it, and the respect they have for their instructors and their new profession.
"We are ready and prepared to take it to the next level," Durham said. Powers described how the academy had provided a strong foundation on which the cadets had built.
WCC Public Safety Division Chair Beverly Deans acknowledged the mental and physical challenges the cadets had faced during 620 hours of training covering 36 aspects of law enforcement. She congratulated them for the commitment that got them through it all.
"You have learned the words integrity, honor, and discipline. Now is the time to go out and not just speak those words but live those words through your actions in your personal and professional lives," Mrs. Blizzard told the graduates.
All of the cadets of WCC's 68th academy passed the State Comprehensive Examination administered by the N.C. Department of Justice's Criminal Justice Standards Division. It was the only academy in North Carolina to have a 100 percent pass rate this term.
With this graduating class, the school has produced 1,072 graduates since its inception as a curriculum program 1987. Currently, WCC graduates work for 52 different law enforcement agencies in this state and more elsewhere.
The WCC academy is accredited by the N.C. Criminal Justice Education and Training Standards Commission and N.C. Sheriffs' Education and Training Standards Commission through the N.C. Community College System.