Fourteen Complete BLET at ECC
Shown with BLET School Director Bernie Taylor (far left) are graduates of Edgecombe Community College’s 13th Basic Academy of Basic Law Enforcement Training: (l-r) John Carl, Pinetops Police Department; Cody Garland, Bertie County Sheriff’s Office; Lindsay Brand, UNC Health Nash Company Police Department; Windsone Sifralien, Vance County Sheriff’s Office; Tiara Winstead, Nash County Sheriff’s Office; Joseph Roach, Winterville Police Department; Na’eem Whitfield, Lenoir County Sheriff’s Office; Joshua Hudson, Wilson County Sheriff’s Office; Zurisadai Serrano-Gomez, Tarboro Police Department; Michael Conwell, Bertie County Sheriff’s Office; Nelson Madrigal Jr., Edgecombe County Sheriff’s Office; Sean Pena, Winterville Police Department; Dashawn Mizzelle, Ahoskie Police Department; and Keshawn Best, Edenton Police Department.
Fourteen cadets graduated from Edgecombe Community College’s 13th Basic Academy of Basic Law Enforcement Training on November 7.
The graduation ceremony featured comments by Joseph Roach, cadet in the 13th Basic Academy, and Michael Conwell, platoon leader of the 13th Basic Academy.
Graduates and their agencies are:
- Keshawn Best, Edenton Police Department
- Lindsay Brand, UNC Health Nash Company Police Department
- John Carl, Pinetops Police Department
- Michael Conwell, Bertie County Sheriff’s Office
- Cody Garland, Bertie County Sheriff’s Office
- Joshua Hudson, Wilson County Sheriff’s Office
- Nelson Madrigal Jr., Edgecombe County Sheriff’s Office
- Dashawn Mizzelle, Ahoskie Police Department
- Sean Pena, Winterville Police Department
- Joseph Roach, Winterville Police Department
- Zurisadai Serrano-Gomez, Tarboro Police Department
- Windsone Sifralien, Vance County Sheriff’s Office
- Na’eem Whitfield, Lenoir County Sheriff’s Office
- Tiara Winstead, Nash County Sheriff’s Office
All of the graduates are in the process of being hired by the law enforcement agencies.
ECC’s BLET Academy prepares students for entry-level employment as a law enforcement officer with state, county, or municipal governments. The cadets completed an intensive 22-week program and have passed the certification exam mandated by the NC Criminal Justice Education and Training Standards Commission.
The BLET program is unique in that it includes training in high-risk calls; certification in tasers, expandable batons, and pepper spray; and Officer Survival Training. Graduates also receive 18 college credit hours toward an associate degree in criminal justice.
In addition, cadets complete a 40-hour block of Crisis Intervention Team Training, also known as CIT Training. This training teaches the cadets how to de-escalate volatile situations involving individuals in mental crisis or suffering from developmental disabilities.
Upon certification, cadets receive a CIT pin for their uniform. This pin and the training are nationally recognized, especially by the population suffering from developmental disabilities. When individuals see the CIT pin on the officer’s uniform, that alone can help to de-escalate the encounter.
CIT Training is a recent addition to ECC’s BLET curriculum and sets the program apart from other programs.
The college’s next Basic Academy for BLET begins February 5. To learn more, please contact (252) 618-6613 or taylorb@edgecombe.edu.