It’s has 19 student officers.
Frederick, Md (KM). Graduation day is fast approaching for the 58th Frederick Police Academy class. The 19 student officers will receive their diplomas and badges during a ceremony at the Weinberg Center on Friday, April 28th beginning at 1:00 PM.
“It is a actually a very large class,” says Michele Bowman, Public Information Coordinator with the Frederick Police. “We’re very fortunate that we have a total of six different agencies involved as well who have sent student officers through our academy.”
Among the graduates, eight will take the oaths of office to become Frederick Police Officers. Four will join the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office; three will become deputies with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office; two will be joining the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office; and one each will join the Brunswick and Annapolis Police Departments. There are 13 men and 6 women.
These student officers began their training on September 19th, 2016. Bowman says it was more than just firearm use. “They learn about victim services. They learn about different types of community policing programs; all of the various laws and ordinances that they need to adhere to,” she says.
They also learn how to interact with the community, particularly those with special needs. “We worked a lot with the Maryland School for the Deaf; the Mental Health Association; Way Station,” says Bowman.
But she says the requirement that student officers learn Spanish while undergoing police training has been dropped. “We offer Spanish for Law Enforcement that the Department pays for the classes and officers can take it. We do bring in folks from different Spanish-speaking organizations within the community,:” Bowman says. One of them is Centro di Hispano, which teaches the student officers about Hispanic culture. The Academy also works with Asian American Center in Frederick.
Even after these officers graduate from the police academy, their training is not over. Bowman says they must undergo several months of field training before they’re allowed to patrol the streets on their own.
By Kevin McManus