VGCC Graduates 13 New Law Enforcement Officers in School’s 87th BLET Class
Thirteen cadets graduated May 26 from the Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) course at Vance-Granville Community College in a ceremony held in the Civic Center on Main Campus. After passing the state certification exam, all 13 are authorized to work in any law enforcement agency in North Carolina.
Graduates of VGCC’s 87th BLET class included Toni Lynn Pleasants of Butner Public Safety; William Ray Aiken, Eugene Alexander Burrell, Timothy Allen Kelley and Soloman Bryan Simmons, all of Henderson Police Department; Anton Eunice Edwards of Louisburg College Campus Police; Brian William Stewart of N.C. Parks and Recreation (Falls Lake); Forest Lindell Hewlin of Warren County Sheriff’s Office; Amanda Danielle Dance, Keith Webster Harris, Wesley Barker Harris, Chadwick Shane Massey and Whitney Claren Sorge.
Tony Pendergrass, the VGCC coordinator of law enforcement training, praised the class for completing 624 hours of grueling training over 16 weeks. Pendergrass also thanked the 45 instructors who helped train the class, the local sheriffs, chiefs of police and administrators who support the program, and the families and friends who supported and encouraged the students.
BLET students chose Captain Keith King of the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles, who is also a BLET instructor and a graduate of the VGCC program’s 54th class, to be their guest speaker for the graduation ceremony. King emphasized the concept of the law enforcement “family” and expressed condolences to the Vance County Sheriff’s Department for the recent loss of a member of that family, Deputy Sheriff Brandon Scott Coker. King also reminded students that the “B” in BLET stands for “Basic,” leaving more to learn. “You must never stop learning,” King said. “You’re well on your way to an associate degree in criminal justice at VGCC if you choose, and maybe you’ll get bachelor’s or master’s degrees later.”
Cadet Soloman Bryan Simmons, the class leader, spoke on behalf of his fellow graduates and thanked all their instructors. King and Greg Hughes, a VGCC law enforcement/corrections instructor, presented certificates to the graduates. Pendergrass handed out awards to the top students in the class in three categories. Wesley Harris won the “Top Gun” Award for having the highest accuracy score in weapons firing. Keith Harris took the Physical Training Award for scoring highest in the various fitness tests the cadets undergo. Tim Kelley was presented with the Academic Achievement Award for having the top grade average in the 35 written tests each cadet must take and pass. For more information on the BLET program, contact Tony Pendergrass at pendergrass@vgcc.edu.
Above: Graduates of Vance-Granville Community College’s Basic Law Enforcement Training Class 87, with (front, far left) Tony Pendergrass, Coordinator of BLET, included from left, William Ray Aiken, Eugene Alexander Burrell, Amanda Danielle Dance, Anton Eunice Edwards, Keith Webster Harris and Wesley Barker Harris; back row from left, Forest Lindell Hewlin, Timothy Allen Kelley, Chadwick Shane Massey, Toni Lynn Pleasants, Soloman Bryan Simmons, Whitney Claren Sorge and Brian William Stewart.(VGCC Photo)
