Thirteen students from the Savannah Technical College Peace Officer Academy celebrated graduating from the program with a ceremony on August 18. These graduates have completed coursework containing the entire Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training (P.O.S.T.) Basic Law Enforcement Training Course. They are now qualified to be state-certified peace officers. Eight have jobs with area departments.

This is the 42nd group of students to complete the program since its inception in 2009. To date, the program has graduated more than 400 P.O.S.T.-certified officers. Eleven of these graduates have been hired by area police departments. STC’s Peace Officer Academy has a 100% placement rate (AY21).

Each cohort selects a fallen officer for whom the graduating class will be named. The cohorts have a tradition of giving the family of the fallen officer a challenge coin dedicated to the officer. A challenge coin is a symbol of an unbreakable bond of dedication and allegiance among military personnel and law enforcement officers. The challenge coin tradition started as a military tradition in World War I and was later adopted by law enforcement.

This cohort honors Sgt. Jacob Gililland of Chatham County Police Department, who passed away on May 26, 2022. Sgt. Gililland had served with the U.S. Army/Savannah Metro Police Department and Chatham County Police Department for 10 years in various law enforcement positions. He was survived by his wife, daughter, family and friends.

The Basic POST Certification Technical Certificate of Credit (TCC) provides students with the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to become competent law enforcement officers. The 11-week cohort program utilizes classroom instruction pertaining to criminal justice theory and the prevailing principles of modern law enforcement, as well as practical application of pertinent enforcement skills. College coursework contains the entire Georgia Peace Officers Standards and Training (P.O.S.T.) Basic Law Enforcement Training Course so that successful completion of the program will qualify the student to be a state-certified peace officer. Students that qualify for HOPE may receive additional funds through the HOPE Career Grant with this program.

This TCC offers a first step in law enforcement. Select courses in the Basic Law Enforcement Certificate program transfer towards an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Criminal Justice. Many agencies pay all or part of the tuition for officers to work toward degrees in criminal justice, police science, administration of justice, or public administration and pay higher salaries to those who earn one of those degrees.

For more information about the Peace Officer Academy visit www.savannahtech.edu/ PeaceOfficerAcademy or contact the office at 912.443.5191 or njones@savannahtech.edu. The next cohort begins in September 2023.