For the second year in a row and the fourth time in five years, graduates of Grayson College’s Texoma Regional Police Academy achieved a 100 percent pass rate on the state licensing exam. While students are given three attempts to pass, all 16 graduates of the June 8 graduation class passed on their first attempt.
“An exemplary pass rate on the state licensing test is a major achievement for all academies in Texas, and it is the first statistic mentioned among state auditors and academy coordinators,” said J.B. (Brad) Blankenship, director of GC’s academy. “Our last five classes have tested 25 for 25, 18 for 18, 20 for 21, 7 for 7, and 16 for 16 on their first attempt.”
The exam covers 29 chapters of the state’s curriculum, which requires a minimum of 618 hours. GC’s academy is 864 hours long and covers the things new officers need to know for the first few years of their employment. By completing the training and passing the state exam, TRPA graduates have earned two of the three criteria for becoming Texas peace officers. Once they are hired by a policy agency – as municipal police officers, constables, sheriff’s deputies, etc. – they will be licensed peace officers.
“GC’s academy trains of pool of applicants for Texas law enforcement agencies,” Blankenship said. “We provide the men and women who respond when you call 911.” TRPA is a certificate program specifically designed for those who want to be Texas peace officers. It is a regional academy that serves Grayson, Cooke and Fannin counties. As such, 95 percent of the peace officers in these counties were trained at the GC academy. Several of the college’s recent graduates have law enforcement jobs now (some in Denison, Sherman and Gainesville), and the rest are in hiring processes.
Academy students receive 25 semester hours and graduate the GC program after completing training through lectures, homework, written tests and hands-on exercises. Course work covers a variety of topics including the Texas Penal Code, mechanics of arrest, driving, shooting, decision-making, property and vehicle searches, using force and deadly force, etc.
“They are trained in all aspects of police work in the classroom,” said Dwayne Barber, chair of GC’s Career Services Division and professor of criminal justice. “They get practical experience in the field as well. In addition to shooting and driving, they have been on the receiving end of a Taser electroshock weapon and pepper spray. All of the classroom and hands-on training is designed to prepare them for what they will face in the line of duty.”
According to Blankenship, many areas of the academy have seen improvement in physical resources, instructional methodology, and group culture. An advisory board of 12 local men and women (sheriffs, chiefs, attorneys and community leaders) meet to determine specific enrollment standards, testing procedures, and performance criteria; they also advise the academy director. Adjunct instructors hail from a variety of law enforcement agencies, the private sector, the District Attorney’s office, the Women’s Crisis Center, and other sources. They must be licensed state instructors or subject matter experts for the topic selected.
The GC program offers three classes per year. The two day academies finish after four and a half months. The night academy finishes after approximately 10 months. Applications are being accepted now for the spring course, which begins Jan. 13. The college’s Office of Financial Aid is available to assist eligible students in securing funding for their studies.
For more information about the GC Texoma Regional Police Academy, call 903-463-8711, email trpa@grayson.edu or visit www.grayson.edu/trpa