Haywood Community College Workforce Development awarded certificates to six graduates of the College's Basic Law Enforcement Training Program recently.  The Cadets completed 684 hours of law enforcement instruction.

Guest Speaker for the Ceremony was Detective Jeff Haynes of the Waynesville Police Department.  He is also an Assistant School Director and Instructor with the Law Enforcement Training Program. Haynes told the Cadets they were entering a “profession with an honorable and historic past.  You, now have the ability to carry the torch and move not only yourself, but the profession into the future in a strong and positive manner.  Your journey is not over, but only beginning.”

To successfully complete the BLET program, Cadets must pass the Police Officer’s Physical Abilities Test (POPAT). This is an obstacle/agility course in which participants must complete a variety of tasks, such as carrying dead weight, climbing stairs, push-ups and sit-ups in a timed period. Then, they are eligible to take a four-hour State Examination.  After successfully passing the exam, the cadets will have 12 months to find an agency to be sworn in with or lose their certification.

Graduates of the HCC BLET #19 class included Ryan Terrell Davis, Patrick Ryan Flowers, Ronald Jason Reynolds, Matthew Lee Rinehardt, Jared Lee Shuler and Larry Ethan Smith.

Two awards are presented at the completion of each class.  The Top Cadet honor is voted on by all instructors who participated in the class.  It is based on the Cadet’s professionalism, the way they have carried themselves throughout the training and their commitment to the Program. The Academic honor is awarded to the Cadet with the highest average of all the blocks of instruction with the six units of the State Exam. Ronald Jason Reynolds was the recipient of both awards for BLET #19.

According to Dee Parton, HCC Director of Workforce Development, "This class became known as the ‘super six’. They worked extremely hard during this night class that was very demanding for eight months. They met the challenges and are to be congratulated on their achievements.”

For information on Basic Law Enforcement Training at HCC, contact Parton at 627-4548 or dparton@haywood.edu