Events
Law Enforcement Graduates Ready to Protect and Serve
RALEIGH, N.C. (February 12, 2025) – A new class of highly trained law enforcement officers will soon be keeping our communities safe. Ten cadets graduated Wednesday from Wake Tech's rigorous Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) Academy. Many of the graduates have already been hired at local departments, including Morrisville, Wake Forest and the North Carolina General Assembly.
The cadets received certificates and awards in front of proud family and friends during a ceremony at the Public Safety Education Campus. The facility, on Chapanoke Road in Raleigh, provides training for an array of first responders and other public safety personnel, including law enforcement, North Carolina Department of Corrections, State Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. It also offers an associate degree in Criminal Justice Technology.
Wake Tech President Dr. Scott Ralls congratulated the graduates and thanked them for choosing a career in law enforcement.
"Thank you for choosing the BLET program here at Wake Tech," said Ralls. "Thank you to the cadets for selecting a path to serve and protect all of us. We are very grateful."
Wake Tech's BLET program includes 768 hours of training, and cadets are required to pass the Police Officers Physical Ability Test (POPAT), a timed series of search and rescue, physical agility and mental alertness drills.
Two cadets received awards for their accomplishments:
- Amanda Nowicki received the Award of Excellence for having the highest academic average.
- Cole Thompson received three awards:
- Johnny Blackman Memorial Award (most physically fit)
- Award of Excellence (highest firearms average)
- Best POPAT results
Class sergeant Eric Hardie-Hints offered words of wisdom to his fellow graduates.
"I am very proud of all of us," said Hardie-Hints. "We are better today than we were yesterday. Thank you to the Wake Tech Public Safety staff and faculty for all the teachable moments. We are prepared to have successful careers."
Wake Tech was the first community college in North Carolina – and the second in the nation – to earn CALEA® accreditation for its Public Safety Training Academy. CALEA®, the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, recognizes best practices and professional excellence in policy and practice.
Wake Tech also offers training at the college's state-of-the-art Public Safety Simulation Complex, at Wake Tech East in Wendell. The facility offers comprehensive reality-based training for first responders from across the county, state and other parts of the country. Wake Tech's EMS program is also offered at the complex.
