Bossier Sheriff Julian Whittington is pleased to announce that 10 law enforcement officer recruits graduated from the 29th Basic Academy Class of the Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Training Academy during a ceremony at the academy headquarters in Plain Dealing at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, April 28th.
The graduates of BPSTA Class 029 were made up of recruits from the Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office, Webster Parish Sheriff’s Office, Dixie Inn Police Department, Northwestern State University Police Department, and the Bienville Parish Sheriff’s Office. Two Bossier deputies earned three of the four top awards in this class of graduates: Colton Hunter was the top academic graduate and also the Honor graduate for Class 029 and Christopher Harry was awarded the Physical Fitness award. Braeden Robinson of the Bienville Parish Sheriff’s Office, the class president, was awarded the Firearms award.
The guest speaker was Judge Doug Stinson, District Court Judge, 26th Judicial District Court. Judge Stinson, who is an adjunct BPSTA instructor, thanked the graduates for their commitment to public service and for their hard work during the academy.
Each of the newly P.O.S.T certified Bossier deputies will begin or continue their careers at one of the three correctional facilities in Plain Dealing.
The recruits of Class 029 successfully completed 16 weeks of training to become P.O.S.T. (Peace Officer Standards and Training)-certified law enforcement officers. They learned a myriad of skills, including legal issues, weapons qualifications, physical fitness, non-lethal force, officer survival skills, and much more.
The Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Training Academy, formerly known as the North Louisiana Criminal Justice Academy, held its first graduation in 2009. Over the past 14 years, instructors have trained more than 500 recruits to become POST-certified law enforcement officers.
