The Collegedale Police Department announces the newest graduates of our Reserve Officer Police Academy.
The reserve academy is a law enforcement education and training program designed for volunteer officers that wish to serve the citizens of Collegedale while also continuing to work in their chosen careers. Many that have attended the reserve academy have gone on to become full-time police officers and attend a state-certified police academy.
“As someone that began his career attending this same police academy, I know how challenging it can be to complete this training while also managing your full-time jobs and spending time with your families,” said Chief Jack Sapp. “I am proud of each of these graduates for sticking it through. I can’t wait to see the good work they will do.”
The reserve academy is a fourteen-week program consisting of 192 hours of classroom study, covering a standard law enforcement curriculum. Academy cadets cover topics such as de-escalation techniques through verbal engagement, weapons qualifications, traffic stops and field sobriety, active shooters, domestic violence response and many other subjects.
After graduation, the officers’ training carries over into the agency’s field training program. Each new officer is paired with a certified field trainer, or FTO, who will teach them how to apply the lessons they learned in the academy on the streets. There are four phases in the field training program, and the new officers will have the opportunity to rotate through the trainers.
In addition to family and friends, the police department’s administrative team attended the graduation, held Thursday evening at City Hall, as well as the various instructors that taught during the academy.
The graduates of the Reserve Officer Police Academy were:
Officer Walter Lockridge
Officer Wilfred Marquez
Officer Andrew Peterson
Officer Morris Ricketts
"Please join us as we congratulate these officers for their dedication and excellence and for completing this challenging program," officials said.