January 22, 2007

After 10 months of scaling obstacle courses, fending off assailants, being pepper sprayed, and of course attending lectures and hitting the books, nine cadets will make history on Friday, January 26, 2007, as the first students to graduate from the Chandler-Gilbert Community College Law Enforcement Training Academy.

Students began the program last March when CGCC launched the first session of their new Law Enforcement Training Academy. Most students entered the program with a background in law enforcement, working for agencies such as the Arizona Department of Corrections and the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office. Upon completion of the program, students earn their Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board (AzPOST) certification, which enables them to perform additional duties in their current job, as well as allowing room for promotion.

"This class has certainly set a high standard for future classes, " said CGCC Law Enforcement Training Academy Coordinator Richard Kush. "They have worked very hard over the past 10 months and will be an asset to their departments and communities."

A fully certified police academy, the CGCC Law Enforcement Training Academy offers 724 hours of training covering all requirements of AzPOST. Law and legal matters, ethics and professionalism, crime scene management, patrol procedures, defensive and pursuit driving, defensive tactics, high risk vehicle stops, traffic control, baton certification, community and police relations, report writing, first aid, physical fitness and firearms are all included.

An extended academy or part-time program lasting two semesters (30-credit hours), students attend classes on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, and all-day on Saturdays. Courses are taught at the CGCC Williams Campus in Mesa by highly-qualified law enforcement personnel from various law enforcement agencies throughout the Valley. Students are administered 63 academic tests during the course of the academy as well as proficiency testing in the areas of firearms, defensive tactics, baton, high risk stops, field problems, crime scene management, report writing and tactical driving.

The academy is coordinated by Kush, who is a retired Tempe Police Commander with over 30 years of experience and former Commander of the Arizona Law Enforcement Academy.

The CGCC Law Enforcement Training Academy graduation will take place at 7 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center on the college's Pecos Campus, located at 2626 E. Pecos Rd. in Chandler. The guest speaker for this Friday's graduation is Chief Tim Dorn of the Gilbert Police Department.

The next session of the CGCC Law Enforcement Academy will begin on or before August 2007. Individuals interested in the program are encouraged to apply early, as they will be required to undergo a lengthy and intensive admissions process prior to registration. Students interested in admissions are encouraged to call Lee Kutzke, Administration of Justice Studies Program Coordinator at (480) 732-7334.