Christopher Sherwood of Butler was presented with the Lou Crouch Law Enforcement Scholarship by the South Georgia Technical College Foundation at the completion of the South Georgia Technical College Law Enforcement Academy Class 25 – 01 graduation ceremony recently. Sherwood earned his Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) certification from the South Georgia Technical College Law Enforcement Academy. He also received the LEA Academic Achievement Award for having the highest grade point average.
“Serving others is very important to me and this is a calling I choose to follow,” said Sherwood, who is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps and a former forest fire officer. “As a veteran of the United States Marine Corps, a career in law enforcement is a way that I may be able to not only utilize the skills gained from those six years of service, but also continue to protect the people of this great nation.”
After Sherwood served in the Marines, he spent seven years in forestry, fighting wildfires as a way to further be of service. “Being in law enforcement was an area of interest I had expressed pursuing. After a fulfilling career in forestry, I decided it was time to finally pursue law enforcement. During my time in the academy, I realized how important it is to continue training and learning. This continuation of training and education not only protects me as an officer, but also to further protect the communities I care about.”
Sherwood thanked Lou Crouch for the scholarship opportunity. “This scholarship will help me to pursue a degree in Criminal Justice after leaving the police academy. Having this degree will help me to be a more educated officer and allow me to serve my community more efficiently. I am very grateful to Lou Crouch, the SGTC Foundation and South Georgia Technical College for this opportunity,” said Sherwood.
Lou Crouch of Elko endowed his first scholarship at South Georgia Technical College in January 2013 to assist students who enrolled in the South Georgia Technical College Law Enforcement Academy and with Sherwood, Crouch has provided scholarships for 32 students so far.
South Georgia Technical College President Dr. John Watford congratulated Sherwood on receiving the Lou Crouch scholarship and wished him the best as he starts his career as a POST certified officer. “I am very proud of you and I am thankful to Lou Crouch and the other individuals who have supported the SGTC Law Enforcement Academy through individual scholarships,” said President Watford.
SGTC Foundation Executive Director and Vice President for Institutional Advancement Su Ann Bird thanked Lou Crouch for his part in helping students like Sherwood and others obtain their dreams of entering the law enforcement field. “This scholarship is a tremendous help to the young men and women who are training to become public servants and work as law enforcement officers here in Georgia. This scholarship is not only helping our students but it is making communities safer. We appreciate Lou Crouch’s involvement and the financial support of this program and our students,” said Bird.
For more information about donating or establishing an endowed scholarship at South Georgia Technical College contact Su Ann Bird, SGTC Foundation Executive Director at 229.931.2110 or sbird@southgatech.edu. Contributions may also be mailed to the SGTC Foundation, P.O. Box 6102, Americus, GA.
South Georgia Tech is one of five technical colleges in Georgia that are allowed to provide training for new law enforcement officers to receive their basic law enforcement training and obtain college credit at the same time. The cadets undergo 18 weeks and over 700 hours of intense training mentally and physically.
The LEA graduates receive their POST (Peace Officer Standards and Training) certification from South Georgia Technical College as well as a technical certificate of credit that can be utilized toward a diploma or Associate Degree in Criminal Justice.
For more information about the Law Enforcement Academy contact the Law Enforcement Academy office at 229.931.2716 or SGTC Law Enforcement Academy Director Jim Mitchell at 229.931.2756 or jim.mitchell@southgatech.edu.