It was a proud night for 23 students as they stood before professors, family, and friends, to celebrate their graduation from the Lone Star College Law Enforcement Academy (LEA).
More than 300 people attended the ceremony on the LSC-Kingwood campus earlier this month. Guests included family members, law enforcement representatives, and LSC Board of Trustees members Mike Sullivan and Iesheia Wilson.
The LEA program is offered at LSC-East Aldine Center. It has seen 68 students successfully complete the Basic Police Officer course since it resumed operations in 2022.
The Continuing Education Program provides 775 contact hours of training and a Level 1 Certificate. Graduates are then given an endorsement to take the Texas licensing exam for Basic Police Officer. After that, they can apply to the agency of their choice.
“Every day at the academy was often met with a new challenge,” said Precinct 4 Deputy Constable Darian LaGoy, who was in the class. “Lone Star not only prepared us to pass TCOLE and receive our license but also prepared us for the real world of modern policing. Lone Star also emphasized our professionalism and respect for others in a way I believe other academies do not.”
Glenn Riddle is the LEA Director. “Usually, only the largest law enforcement agencies have their own police academy. The Lone Star College LEA provides a pipeline of applicants to agencies without an in-house training academy. These departments rely on regional training academies, such as LSC-LEA, when recruiting new peace officers. To this end, we have partnered with many agencies in the surrounding area for recruiting our students.”
Riddle says around 75% of the students already have a job offer before they even graduate. The Harris County Precinct 4 Constable’s Office has hired 12 program graduates since 2022.
“We are proud to be the agency who has recruited the most LSC-LEA graduates,” said Precinct 4 Captain Jonathan Zitzmann, who is a member of the LSC-LEA Advisory Board. “The Harris County Precinct 4 Constable's Office is proud to be a friend, supporter, and partner with the LSC-LEA and we look forward to hiring many more cadets and proudly pinning on their Precinct 4 badges at their graduation.”
Fatima Medina is a Deputy with Precinct 4; she was one of the class leaders and was elected as Sergeant at Arms by her peers while at the Academy.
“I will say that my favorite part of the Academy was being able to build very tight knit bonds within us classmates and the instructors. Something so special and comforting knowing that we are all here for the same reason at the end of the day, to help and serve the community. That not one of us were going to watch someone fail during the time we were all there.”
The LSC-LEA will soon begin taking applications for a Fall class starting in October. Interested students should contact LSC-LEA@lonestar.edu for more information.
You can find more information about the LSC-Law Enforcement Academy by visiting https://www.lonestar.edu/programs-of-study/law-enforcement-academy.htm.
To see pictures from the LSC-LEA Graduation, click here.
Lone Star College enrolls over 80,000 students each semester providing high-quality, low-cost academic transfer and career training education. LSC is training tomorrow’s workforce today and redefining the community college experience to support student success. Mario K. Castillo, J.D. serves as Chancellor of LSC, the largest institution of higher education in the Houston area. LSC has been named a 2023 Great Colleges to Work For® institution by the Chronicle of Higher Education and recognized by Fortune Magazine and Great Place To Work® as one of this year’s Best Workplaces in Texas™. LSC consists of eight colleges, seven centers, eight Workforce Centers of Excellence and Lone Star Corporate College. To learn more, visit Lonestar.edu.
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