Alpena Community College’s local correctional officer graduation
ALPENA, Mich. — Over the past four weeks, 22 participants from 10 different counties in Michigan have prepared to become correctional officers. They’ve learned correctional law, ethics, stress management, and subject control among other things.
Instructor Larry Thomson says that these students are now ready to enter any jail in the state and do the job. “I believe these students that graduated today are more than ready to go into the jails of their employment and do the job,” he said. “Certainly, we learn everyday. If there is a day that goes by we don’t learn something, then we probably haven’t done our job, but I’m very confident confident that these 22 young people will go out and do the job that’s expected of them.”
Initially, the academy had been postponed due to COVID–19 concerns, and extra precautions were taken. Graduate of the academy and member of the Kalkaska County Sheriff’s Department Kayla Varney says that made learning a little different. “I don’t think it affected us too bad,” she said. “It was different. It was weird to mask up or glove up all the time. That was definitely different.”
Now that they’ve completed the academy, these graduates are now able to work at any jail in the state. There were two graduates from Alpena County, one from Presque Isle and one from Montmorency.
