Eighteen students from the Savannah Technical College Peace Officer Academy celebrated graduating from the program with a completion ceremony.

The five women and 13 men have completed coursework containing the entire Georgia Peace Officer Standards & Training Basic Law Enforcement Training Course. Their successful completion of the program qualifies them to be state-certified peace officers.

This is the 19th group of students to complete the program since its inception in 2009. To date, the program has graduated 271 P.O.S.T.-certified officers. Many candidates are in various stages of the application process with statewide agencies. Several candidates have been hired by area police departments. Savannah Tech’s Peace Officer Academy has a 97% placement rate.

Each cohort selects a fallen officer for whom the graduating class will be named. The cohorts have a tradition of giving the family of the fallen officer a challenge coin dedicated to the officer. A challenge coin is a symbol of an unbreakable bond of dedication and allegiance among military personnel and law enforcement officers. The challenge coin tradition started as a military tradition in World War I and was later adopted by law enforcement.

This cohort honors Sheriff Al St Lawrence of the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff St Lawrence served the citizens of Chatham County for more than 56 years, first as a member of the Chatham County Police Department, rising to the rank of Chief of Police, and then as Sheriff of Chatham County. Sheriff St Lawrence passed away November 24, 2015. He was survived by his wife Pat, seven children, 16 grandchildren, and two brothers.

The Basic Law Enforcement Technical Certificate of Credit provides students with the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to become competent law enforcement officers. The 18-week cohort program utilizes classroom instruction pertaining to criminal justice theory and the prevailing principles of modern law enforcement, as well as practical application of pertinent enforcement skills. College coursework contains the entire Georgia Peace Officers Standards & Training Basic Law Enforcement Training Course so that successful completion of the program will qualify the student to be a state-certified peace officer.