About The Lee County ledger. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1978-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 18, 2019)
The Lee County Ledger, Wednesday, December 18,2019, Page 3A Submitted Photo SGTC LEA Director Brett Murray (left), SGTC President Dr. John Watford (right) and guest speaker District Attorney Lewis Lamb (second from right) are pictured with LEA graduates (l-r) John Webb of Andersonville, Dillon Hanners of Perry, Kevon Kendrick of Leesburg, Samantha Smith of Columbus, Kevin Kendrick of Leesburg, Monteze McCall of Bainbridge, Jalen Johnson of Leesburg, and Andrew Emmons of Perry. Eight Cadets Graduate from SGTC Law Enforcement Academy Special to the Ledger Class 19-02 of the South Georgia Technical College (SGTC) Law Enforcement Academy (LEA) recently complet ed 18 weeks of intensive training to earn their POST (Peace Officer Standards and Training) certification. The eight cadets in the class were awarded their certifica tions in a ceremony on the Americus campus of SGTC in the John M. Pope Industrial Tech nology Center. A large crowd of family, friends, law enforcement offi cials and others were on hand to show their support. Class 19-02 consists of Andrew Tyler Emmons of Perry, Dillon Tyler Hanners of Perry, Jalen Lynn Johnson of Lees burg, Kevin Letravious Kendrick and Kevon Detravious Kendrick of Leesburg, Monteze Edward McCall of Bain bridge, Samantha Cherie Smith of Columbus, and John Robert Webb of Andersonville. For the cadets, the cer emony marks the end of their basic training and the beginning of their professional careers in law enforcement. SGTC President Dr. John Watford welcomed the cadets and attendees, and stressed the impor tance of the occasion and the value of law en forcement in American society. “The only thing that stands between everything we hold dear and total chaos is law enforcement,” Watford said. “When we cele brate and honor these men and women today, it’s a serious thing. It’s sobering that they choose their profession because they care about our society and the com munities they live in.” Following the wel come, Cadet John Webb offered the invocation and led the room in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. LEA Direc tor Brett Murray then offered a class overview of the attendees and relaying the intensity of their coursework. SGTC Assistant Vice President of Student Af fairs Vanessa Wall then introduced the guest speaker, Southwestern Judicial Circuit District Attorney Lewis Lamb. Lamb spoke to the complexity of a career in law enforcement and the importance of relation ships to ultimate suc cess. “You are going to have to rely on the peo ple around you,” he said. “Your best resources are going to be other law enforcement officers. And you need to support and encourage them.” But he also stressed that the most valuable characteristic for success is personal credibility. “Credibility comes from competence and integri ty - are you good at your job, and are you honest? Can people believe you and trust you?” Lamb encouraged to the cadets to hold on to their personal integrity and hold both fellow officers and themselves accountable. Following Lamb’s re marks, scholarships and awards were presented to the top students in the class. Cadet Monteze Mc Call was awarded the Lt. Michael Sangster Law Enforcement Academy Scholarship; The Lou Crouch Law Enforce ment Scholarship was awarded to Cadet Jalen Johnson; and Cadet Sa mantha Smith received the Smallwood-Sondron Law Enforcement Schol arship. The Smarr-Smith Law Enforcement/Criminal Justice Scholarship was awarded to current law enforcement offi cers April Cosby and Mathew Pearce. Awards went to Cadet John Webb (Top Gun Award and Academic Achievement Award) and Cadet Monteze McCall who was cho sen by his classmates to receive the Class Repre sentative Award. McCall then delivered remarks on behalf of his fellow cadets. “As I look at my fellow classmates, I cannot help but to reflect on our time here at the academy,” McCall said. “Our family-like bond became even stronger as the weeks went on. We knew that success was a process and failure was not an option.” McCall went on to speak of the challenges of both the classroom and hands-on training, and he thanked all the people who sup ported himself and the Cut For Cut For A Cause is a fund-raising effort for the Lee County Animal Shelter by Leland Doug las. Wanting to partic ipate in a worthwhile project, Leland and his mother, Phyliss Douglas, discussed several worth while projects. Leland selected the animal shelter. To raise money for the animal shelter, Leland will buzz-cut his hair if he can raise at least $1000. Leland is 11 years old and is a sixth grader at Lee County Middle School East. His teacher, Mrs. McMinn, is asking students to help raise the funds. The deadline is December 31st. Donations can be sent- through Facebook Fund raiser page: CUT FOR A CAUSE at https:// www.facebook.com/do- other cadets during their time at the academy. After McCall’s re marks, President Wat ford and Brett Murray presented the cadets with their certificates, and Cadet Andrew Em mons closed the ceremo ny with a benediction. South Georgia Tech is one of six technical colleges in Georgia that are allowed to provide training for new law enforcement officers to receive their basic law enforcement training and obtain college credit at the same time. The cadets undergo 18 weeks and over 700 hours of intense training mentally and physically. The LEA graduates received their POST (Peace Officer Standards and Training) certifica tion from South Georgia Technical College as well as a technical certif icate of credit that can be utilized toward a diplo- A Cause Leland Douglas nate/560283964798536/ or checks can be mailed to the Lee County Ani mal Shelter at 101 Mossy Dell Rd, Leesburg, GA 31763 with “Leland Douglas Fundraiser” on the note space or checks can be mailed to Leland Douglas, 107 Southill Drive, Leesburg, GA. 31763 - made payable to “Lee County Animal Shelter”. ma or Associate Degree in Criminal Justice. The Law Enforcement Academy program takes 18 weeks to complete and most recruits qualify for the HOPE Grant and other forms of financial aid. Admis sion standards require all students to undergo a thorough background check and adhere to all rules as set forth by the state POST Council. Students will also have to meet minimum scores in English, reading and math. 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