(Media release from Georgia Northwestern Technical College):
Friends, family and the community gathered in the Conference Center at Georgia Northwestern Technical College’s (GNTC) Gordon County Campus in Calhoun to honor 12 students graduating from Basic Law Enforcement Training Class (BLETC) #2022 on Monday, Dec. 5.
The Basic Law Enforcement (BLE) program is designed to train and prepare graduates for employment as entry-level Georgia law enforcement officers.
“Do your job. Do it well,” guest speaker Tom Bojo, retired dean of Academic Support Services at GNTC, told the graduates. “Always ask yourself if you did the right thing.”
He reminded the graduates of the dangers that are part of their new profession, to maintain their perspective when dealing with people in the community and to tell their families they love them every day.
Jordon Millirons was the student speaker for the ceremony. Timothy Kittle was presented with the “Top Gun” award for excellence in marksmanship, and Lucas Dooley received the Academic (Honor Graduate) Award for having the highest grade point average.
Graduates recited their Oath of Honor at the conclusion of the ceremony, vowing “On my honor, I will never betray my badge, my integrity, my character or the public trust. I will always have the courage to hold myself and others accountable for our actions. I will always uphold the Constitution, my community and the agency I serve.”
Graduates of GNTC’s BLETC #2022 are Dawn Charles, Lucas Dooley, Vanessa Fajardo, Monica Foster, Shandi Hall, Timothy Kittle, Parker Lively, Eric Menzies, Jordon Millirons, Darlin Rendon Ponce, Jerec Roberts and Stuart Wishart.
Fajardo, Kittle and Rendon Ponce are employed by the Murray County Sheriff’s Office; Dooley and Foster are employed by the Walker County Sheriff’s Office. Charles is employed by the Gordon County Sheriff’s Office.
Roberts is employed by the Floyd County Sheriff’s Office and Wishart by the Floyd County Police Department.
Hall is employed by the Fort Oglethorpe Police Department, and Lively is employed by the Calhoun Police Department.
Millirons is employed by the Holly Springs Police Department while Menzies is employed by the Georgia Highlands College Police Department.
Graduates of GNTC’s BLETC #2022 are (from left, front row) Timothy Kittle, Shandi Hall, Monica Foster, Vanessa Fajardo, Lucas Dooley, Dawn Charles; (back row) Stuart Wishart, Jerec Roberts, Darlin Rendon Ponce, Jordon Millirons, Eric Menzies and Parker Lively.