Special to the Herald

SAVANNAH – Twenty-one students from the Savannah Technical College Peace Officer Academy celebrated graduating from the program with a ceremony recently. These graduates 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 46th group of students to complete the program since its inception in 2009. To date, more than 500 P.O.S.T.-certified officers have graduated from the program. Nineteen of these graduates have been hired by area police departments. STC’s Peace Officer Academy has had a 100% placement rate for the past three years (Academic years 2021-2023).

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 Lt. Brandi Cross-Stock of Brooklet Police Department, who passed away on Sept. 21, 2021.  Lt. Stock had served with Brooklet for two years. She served in various departments such as Warner Robins, Rincon and Garden City police departments from 2009 until 2021. Lt. Stock also served in the United States Army for six years as a Military Police Officer. She was survived by her mother, husband, family, and friends.

The Basic POST Certification Technical Certificate of Credit (TCC) 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 the 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. Students who qualify for HOPE may receive additional funds through the HOPE Career Grant with this program.

This TCC offers a first step in law enforcement.  Select courses in the Basic Law Enforcement Certificate program transfer toward an Associate of Applied Science degree in criminal justice.  Many agencies pay all or part of the tuition for officers to work toward degrees in criminal justice, police science, administration of justice, or public administration and pay higher salaries to those who earn one of those degrees. The next cohort begins in January 2025.

For more information about the Peace Officer Academy click on www.savannahtech.edu/PeaceOfficerAcademy or contact the office at 912.443.5191 or email njones@savannahtech.edu.