Clark State College will hold a graduation ceremony for cadets of the Basic Peace Officer Training Academy at 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, January 11, 2023, at the Hollenbeck Bayley Creative Arts and Conference Center, 275 South Limestone Street, Springfield.
The ceremony will also honor the late Clark County deputy Matthew Yates who lost his life in the line of duty in July of 2022.
Deputy Yates attended Clark State and graduated from the Clark State Police Academy. “We felt the need to honor Deputy Matthew Yates and his family for the ultimate sacrifice Deputy Yates made for this community,” said Paul Weber, commander of the Clark State Police Academy.
Clark State’s state-of-the-art police academy training facility features a subject control/physical fitness center. A new practical training room is used for practical (hands-on) training for domestic violence, crime scene, DUI enforcement training and Milo System training (weapons scenario-based system to train officers in the use of force).
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.
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Weber said Clark State is sending well-trained cadets into the workforce, and he is confident they will make excellent police officers.
“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.”
Police Academy graduate Annmeri Turner also holds a bachelor’s in sociology with a criminology focus from Wittenberg University. Turner has secured a position with the Springfield Police Division (SPD) following in the footsteps of her father, retired SPD Lieutenant Lou Turner, and sister SPD officer Antonia Turner, both also graduates of the Clark State Police Academy.
“I’m blessed to be able to follow behind my dad and sister and work for SPD,” said Annmeri Turner. “It’s neat being the third person in my family to attend the Clark State Police Academy. Some of my instructors at the academy worked with my dad at the police division and just over two years ago, most of my instructors also taught my sister.”
Turner said her favorite part of the Academy is the relationships and connections she has formed, and she encourages other to consider a career in law enforcement.
“I look for this job to put me in a good position to make a positive impact on the community in that I have grown up in,” she said. “I am thankful for all of the hard work everyone at the academy has done to help prepare us for our future careers. I also am grateful to the Springfield Police Division for providing me with this opportunity.”
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 January 3, 2023, from 5:30 p.m. to 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.
Those interested in enrolling in the Clark State Basic Peace Officer Training Academy should call 937.328.6050 for more information or complete an online inquiry form at https://www.clarkstate.edu/academics/basic-police-officer-inquiry-form/ .
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.
A complete list of graduates and the ceremony schedule is available at: https://bit.ly/3GGLJnD