VGCC to offer Basic Law Enforcement Training at night

A new opportunity at Vance-Granville Community College will appeal to adults who are interested in embarking upon a law enforcement career, but who work during the day. The college is scheduling an evening/weekend version of its Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) program, which would start on Monday, Aug. 23. Students would train at the college’s main campus in Vance County on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday nights and on Saturdays, completing the course in June 2011.

The BLET Certificate program is designed to give students essential skills required for entry-level employment as law enforcement officers with state, county, or municipal governments, or with private enterprise. Students in the program (also known as “cadets”) study topics including, but not limited to, criminal, juvenile, civil, traffic, and alcoholic beverage laws; investigative, patrol, custody, and court procedures; emergency responses; and ethics and community relations. Students must successfully complete and pass all units of study, which include the certification examination mandated by the North Carolina Criminal Justice Education and Training Standards Commission and the North Carolina Sheriffs’ Education and Training Standards Commission, to receive a certificate. After passing the state certification exam, graduates are authorized to work in any law enforcement agency in North Carolina. Vance-Granville’s BLET program boasts a 99 % employment rate. Employers include local police and sheriff’s departments, N.C. Parks & Recreation, and N.C. Alcohol Law Enforcement. Completing the BLET course also gives students up to 16 credit hours that they can use toward an Associate in Applied Science degree in Criminal Justice Technology .

Students must meet certain qualifications to be admitted to the program, and must provide VGCC with criminal records and a medical exam completed by a state-licensed medical doctor. Students typically obtain a sponsorship from a law enforcement agency prior to enrolling.

For more information, contact Tony Pendergrass , the VGCC coordinator of law enforcement training, at (252) 738-3263.