Clark State Police Academy to honor graduates

The Hollenbeck Bayley Conference Center in downtown Springfield will be the site of the police academy graduation next week. File.

The Hollenbeck Bayley Conference Center in downtown Springfield will be the site of the police academy graduation next week. File.

Clark State College will honor several Basic Peace Officer Training Academy graduates next week.

The ceremony is slated for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Hollenbeck Bayley Creative Arts and Conference Center in Springfield.

Paul Weber, commander of the Clark State Police Academy, said Clark State is sending cadets into the workforce, and he is confident they will make excellent police officers, according to a Clark State College press release.

“The cadets spend 5-7 months of intense training to start a long and rewarding career in police service for our communities,” he said. “They complete 769 hours of training. We are proud of their accomplishments and wish them all success as they move forward.”

Clark State’s police academy training facility features a subject control and physical fitness center. A new practical training room is used for hands-on training for domestic violence, crime scene, DUI enforcement training and Milo System training, which is a weapons scenario-based system to train officers in the use of force, according to the college.

The Clark State Basic Peace Officer Training Academy celebrated its 50th anniversary in August of 2019. The Academy is designed to meet the requirements of the Ohio Police Officer Training Council (OPOTC) and is offered in cooperation with local law enforcement agencies, the State of Ohio, and OPOTC, the college said.

Advances in technology and an emphasis on homeland security have fueled a demand for law enforcement professionals equipped to meet the changes in national security, according to the release.

Clark State offers four peace officer training academies each year — four-month daytime academies and six-month evening academies are each held twice a year. Each academy is limited to 25 cadets.

The next evening Academy session begins Jan. 3 from 5:30-10:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. The next daytime Academy session will begin in March of 2023 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Cadets must be 21 years of age at the time they take the state certification exam. Cadets must also have a valid Ohio driver’s license, a high school diploma or GED equivalent and cannot have any felony or violent misdemeanor convictions.

Prospective cadets are required to complete the OPOTA application and other required forms. A candidate is required to pass a physical assessment test, a physical, a drug screen and be fingerprinted for a BCI background check.

Here are the Spring 2022 Police Academy graduates:

Auglaize County

Bradley Fleck

Clark County

Reese Cochran

Ryan Fain

Brendon Hartsell

Gabriel Mefford

Keith Moore

Madeline Ruetenik

Zachary Speckman

Caitlin Votaw

Franklin County

James Aubrey

Greene County

Syncear Bryant

Joseph Desjardins

Montgomery County

Major Stratton

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