South Georgia Technical College will be offering an 11-week Peace Officers Standards Training (POST) law enforcement training class beginning in August that will allow successful HOPE Grant qualified candidates to attend tuition free and receive 26 hours of college credit toward an associate of applied science in Criminal Justice.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for individuals interested in a career in law enforcement,” said South Georgia Technical College Law Enforcement Academy Director Brett Murray. “With Georgia’s lottery-based HOPE (Helping Outstanding Pupils Educationally) Grant and HOPE Career grant, qualified students can attend tuition free, gain their POST (Peace Officers Standards Training) certification and 26 credit hours toward an associate degree in Criminal Justice in less than a semester.”
Fall semester classes are scheduled to begin around August 18th and it is not too late for apply for this 11-week program. In 2008, SGTC was one of six technical colleges in Georgia selected to participate in a pilot project to allow law enforcement officers to receive their POST law enforcement training at a technical college and obtain college credit at the same time. The original program lasted 18-weeks and students earned POST certification and a technical certificate of credit (TCC) for completion of the program.
The SGTC POST Certified Law Enforcement Academy is a rigorous program that consists of 440 course hours and takes 11-weeks to complete. After successful completion, cadets are eligible for POST certification and for employment as an entry-level law enforcement officer.
In Georgia, the certification process to become a police officer is regulated by the Georgia Peace Officers Standards and Training Council (POST). Candidates pursuing the Basic Law Enforcement Training must be at least 18-years of age, a U.S. Citizen, have a high school diploma or its equivalent; not have been convicted of a crime for which punishment could have been imprisonment, undergo a background investigation, be fingerprinted, complete an entrance exam, and undergo a physical and psychological examination.
For more information about the South Georgia Technical College Law Enforcement Academy contact Director Brett Murray at bmurray@southgatech.edu or 229-931-2716. Students must also apply to South Georgia Technical College and contact Admissions Director Candie Walters at cwalters@southgatech.edu or visit the SGTC website at www.southgatech.edu and apply online.
On-campus housing is also available for Law Enforcement Academy students and others. SGTC is one of only two technical colleges in Georgia with on-campus housing.