Students in the Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) program at Vance-Granville Community College had the opportunity recently to apply what they are learning about service by answering a call for help from fellow students.
VGCC’s Criminal Justice Technology curriculum program participates in the Adopt-a-Highway program and tend to a stretch of Poplar Creek Road near the college’s main campus. But this year, program head Andrea Hyson, asked Brandon Bishop, BLET director/instructor, for a little backup.
“I was quick to volunteer the BLET Academy class in order to help out,” Bishop said. It was a perfect opportunity to give the 17 cadets a tangible teaching and mentoring activity to help the community. The cadets are on the path to becoming well-trained and well-rounded law enforcement officers, Bishop said. But there’s more to being a law enforcement officer than just enforcing the law.
“We also share the responsibility of being leaders and caretakers within the communities we serve,” he said. “We, as a profession, need to be grounded in service to our communities and their specific needs, whether those needs are large or small. When these cadets graduate and become sworn officers in our communities, our intention is for them to have obtained a sense of responsibility. We want them to have a sense of ownership for creating change, growth and positivity.”
Hyson said she is very grateful for the help from instructor Tony Clark, Bishop and all the BLET cadets.
Contact Bishop at 252.492.2061, ext. 3263 or bishopb@vgcc.edu to learn more.