Harker Heights Evening Star

Central Texas College (CTC) held a graduation ceremony on Friday in the school’s Anderson Campus Center for cadets in the Basic Peace Officer Course 2016 of the CTC Police Academy. Seven cadets completed the course which establishes a baseline of training before the new officers begin work with their respective law enforcement agencies. Guest speaker for the graduation ceremony was Bell County Assistant District Attorney Anne Jackson.
During the ceremony, several awards were presented. The academic honor graduate was Melissa Jouett. The Chuck Dinwiddie Top Gun Award for best marksmanship was earned by Brian Normand. The Best Instructor Award as chosen by the cadets was presented to Sgt. Steven O’Neal. And Michael O’Hala was recognized as class president.
After fulfilling the 720-hour course requirements, each cadet sat for the State peace officer licensing exam and passed with a class average of 93. The cadets were sponsored by a local law enforcement agency and will now receive further training and work from their respective agency. The graduates were Mark Alexander and Gary Meyer of the Bell County Sheriff’s Department; Justin Burgan of the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office; and Melissa Jouett, Anthony Keifer, Brian Normand and Michael O’Hala of the Harker Heights Police Department.
Individual blocks of instruction were presented in a variety of topics including multiculturalism and human relations, interpersonal communications, problem solving, ethics and professionalism, victims’ rights, Texas Penal Code, Texas Traffic Code, Texas Family Code, use of force law and concepts, firearms, defensive tactics, police vehicle operation, criminal investigation, stress management and physical conditioning.
Admission to the full-time Central Texas Police Academy Basic Peace Officer Course is limited to cadets who are employed as a police recruit, prospective recruit or prospective reserve peace officer who have been processed as an applicant and meet the enrollment standards for admission and licensing as a peace officer in Texas. Entry requirements are established by the academy’s advisory board and rules of the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education.
Anyone interested in a career in law enforcement, but not currently affiliated with a local agency, can enroll in the Extended Basic Peace Officers course. It is a 10-and-a-half-month course also designed to prepare the graduating cadet to take the state licensing examination to be a peace officer in the State of Texas. The next course begins in January 2017. For information on either course, contact the CTC Protective Services/Criminal Justice department at 254-526-1275.