Police Academy Continues Setting Benchmark With Latest Class of Graduates
Article by: Rosa Linda Reynoso
Del Mar College’s Regional Police Academy cadets continue to hit the benchmark with 100 percent pass rates on the state licensure exam. The 16 cadets making up the Class of Fall 2016 took the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Basic Peace Officer licensure exam and continued to set a record before graduating from the program on Dec. 15.
“The academy has a 100% first attempt pass rate for the sixteenth academy in a row,” notes Davis Merrell, chair of the College’s Public Safety Education Department. “Once cadets graduate, they earn their certification for entering the workforce or they can continue their education and complete an associate in applied science degree in criminal justice with 20 hours of college credit already earned with successful completion of the academy.”
The Fall 2016 Class included Roy D. Cantu, Jason A. Charles, Diane C. Davis, Aldo R. Ferrera, Danny F. Flores, Andrew Longoria, Jack H. McCarty, Valerie A. Medrano, Shane G. Meyers, Bianca R. Mora, Douglas G. Oxborrow, Christian T. Payne, Michael T. Pernell, Adrian L. Rodriquez, Christopher L. Tysor and Brandon S. Villegas.
Del Mar College’s program requires cadets to train for 16 weeks, along with scoring a minimum of 85 on all examinations, passing prescribed driving and shooting courses and meeting fitness standards before completing the academy.
Merrell says the 16-week course consists of 703 hours covering 33 topics as directed by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement. He adds that three academies are taught each year with an average of about 23 cadets per academy. Cadets who pass the final exam and graduate become eligible to take the state-licensing exam to become a licensed peace officer in Texas.
To learn more about Del Mar College’s Regional Police Academy, visit: www.delmar.edu/Law_Enforcement/law_enforcement.aspx.
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