The St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office announced today the graduation of four more sheriff’s deputies from the St. Martin Sheriff’s Basic Training Academy.
The police academy is 14 weeks of intense and strenuous classes that instruct officers throughout the Acadiana area. During the course, cadets are instructed in firearms qualifications, physical fitness, first aid/CPR, academic courses and must pass a State of Louisiana Police Officers Standard Training test to be certified as a peace officer.
During the academy the cadets are graded on academics to physical fitness then on graduation day, the top cadets receive awards. Once again, deputies with the St. Landry Parish Sheriff Department have won a top award.
Dy. Damien Morgan was awarded the Top Gun Award for the highest scores on firearms training.
Major Eddie Thibodeaux who serves as the Director of Training and Professional Development for the sheriff’s office said that “since the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office started sending recruits to the police academy, the deputies have won top awards nearly every time.”
The policy of the office is that each recruit prior to attending police academy must pass a 12-week field training program that is taught by a senior road deputy. The program has the recruit ride along with an experienced deputy teaching the recruit on the law, community policing, to officer safety skills.
“It not only prepares them for the academy and their assigned duties when released but it also helps them transition from civilian life to public service,” Thibodeaux added.
The training program and more importantly the hiring of quality recruits by Sheriff Bobby Guidroz has led the sheriff’s office to move to the forefront in professional deputies. The sheriff’s office deputies have won Top Academic, Top Gun, Most Physically Fit, Most Improved and Top Notebook, and deputies have served as class president, vice president, and Chaplin while attending the police academy. This year, class vice president was Dy. Ray Duplichain and serving as class Chaplin was Deputy Samuel Tidwell.
The Sheriff said that he has made it a priority to make sure that all deputies will be professional and committed to higher standards.
“I will continue to place certified deputies on the streets of St. Landry Parish to better serve the public and would like to commend the deputies for their hard work and dedication while in the academy," Guidroz said.
