Graduates of Vance-Granville Community College’s Basic Law Enforcement Training Class 94 included, front row, from left: James Lynwood Tapp, Emily Brooke Abernethy, Kevin Michael Rigsbee, Taniqua Danielle Teasley, Michael Tucker Wilder and Michael Raymond Currier; second row, from left: Seth Jacob Bryan, Richard Benbury Ellington, William Thomas Robinson, Jason Lee Harris and Bobby Ray Shelton, Jr.; third (top) row, from left: Michael Ryan Strickland, Brandon Scott Ray, Jeremy Edward Wells, Colby Scott Rice, Worth Edward Taylor and Brandon Derrick Davis, with law enforcement training coordinator Tony Pendergrass. (VGCC Photo)
Seventeen cadets graduated on May 22, 2012 from the Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) course at Vance-Granville Community College in a ceremony held in the Civic Center on Main Campus. After passing the state certification exam, all are authorized to work in any law enforcement agency in North Carolina.
Graduates of VGCC’s 94th BLET class included Kevin Michael Rigsbee and Bobby Ray Shelton, Jr., both of Butner Public Safety; Taniqua Danielle Teasley of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office; Seth Jacob Bryan, Richard Benbury Ellington and James Lynwood Tapp, all of the Granville County Sheriff’s Office; Michael Tucker Wilder of the Henderson Police Department; Emily Brooke Abernethy of N.C. Parks & Recreation; Michael Raymond Currier of the Person County Sheriff’s Office; Jason Lee Harris and William Thomas Robinson, both of the Oxford Police Department; Brandon Derrick Davis, Brandon Scott Ray, Colby Scott Rice, Michael Ryan Strickland, Worth Edward Taylor and Jeremy Edward Wells.
Tony Pendergrass, the VGCC coordinator of law enforcement training, praised the class for completing 624 hours of grueling training over 16 weeks. Pendergrass also thanked the 45 instructors who helped train the class, the local sheriffs, chiefs of police and administrators who support the program, and the families and friends who supported and encouraged the students.
Chief John Wolford of the Oxford Police Department served as the guest speaker for the graduation ceremony. “In my over 35 years in municipal law enforcement, I have come to recognize three traits that are essential for success in your chosen profession,” Wolford told the graduates. The three C’s, as he called them, are control, competence and compassion. The chief also encouraged the cadets to continue learning “to stay on top of your profession.” Wolford said that being a law enforcement officer is “about honor, duty and hope that we can make a difference” and is “a calling, not just a job.”
Cadet Seth Bryan, the class leader, spoke on behalf of his fellow graduates. He thanked Pendergrass and all their other instructors. He praised the students’ teamwork and dedication. “It’s been an honor to have learned and trained beside each and every one of you,” Bryan said.
Wolford and VGCC Director of Economic and Workforce Development Garland Elliott formally presented certificates to the graduates. Pendergrass handed out three student awards: the “Top Gun” Award for having the highest accuracy score in weapons firing, the Physical Training Award for scoring highest in the various fitness tests the cadets undergo, and the Academic Achievement Award for having the top grade average in the 35 written tests each cadet must take and pass. As it happened, Seth Bryan received all three awards. Pendergrass said that in his 22 years of being associated with the Vance-Granville BLET program, this was the first time that one cadet had earned all three honors. For more information on BLET, contact Tony Pendergrass at pendergrass@vgcc.edu.