The Basic Law Enforcement Training program at Sampson Community College has been producing some of the finest officers for the last 30 years.
Last week, 11 students were added to the graduation list, as they graduated from the program and are now starting the recruitment process at various agencies.
“The BLET program has been offered here at Sampson Community College for nearly 30 years from the records search in catalogs,” Jennifer Wiley, Criminal Justice department chair, said. “Many of our students work for our local agencies which serve our community so it is nice to see them in the job locally. And many of our BLET instructors were graduates of our BLET here at SCC and have risen through the ranks in their agencies and returned as BLET instructors, helping to prepare the next generation.”
Speaker at the graduation was Lt. Robert Dalton of the Clinton Police Department, who covered topics such as leadership and ethics in his address to the students. Sgt Wayne Dienhart of the Sampson sheriff’s Department offered closing statements before leading the graduates, their families and instructors to the dinner sponsored by the Sampson Community College Foundation.
The program’s next academy will begin Feb. 6 and will be held during the day. Students will attend class from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday-Thursday and have some additional training in the evenings. Throughout the program, there will be some Friday and Saturday training to accommodate the training needs for firearms, driving and traffic enforcement.
“The day class that is coming up offers the students eight hours of training a day, rather than four hours as with the night program,” Wiley shared. “This means that the day program completes much faster for the student. They are then able to complete it sooner and be on their way to a career in law enforcement. The night program and day program cover the same material but with the night program being part time, it takes just a little longer to complete.”
According to Wiley, there are 24 seats available in the day academy and seats are beginning to fill up. Those interested in joining the program are encouraged to contact Wiley as soon as possible to begin the admissions process.