Both students and school have been tested at the Scioto County Career and Technical Center and Southern Ohio Police Academy with high marks for all.

Wednesday evening, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost made a trip to the campus to award the school with the distinction of STAR Academy, a designation reserved for agencies whose training extends beyond the basic requirements set out by the state.

“To keep our communities safe, Ohio peace officers must be properly trained,” AG Yost said. “This Star Academy designation recognizes Southern Ohio Police Academy’s commitment to a higher level of training and success for its graduates.”

Yost commended all involved, saying he doesn’t travel lightly, but this momentous occasion should be celebrated.

At the reception, SCCTC Superintendent Kyle Copley was beaming as he spoke.

“Approximately one year ago, I met with Executive Director Holcomb and Field Agent McGreevy when they visited our campus to discuss our district’s police academy. During that meeting, I explained that we were beginning a full restructuring of our police academy from the leadership to the instructors. I have been extremely impressed with ownership, our police academy leadership and instructors have invested in this program and our students,” Copley said in his speech. “This restructuring was faced with many local political challenges, but we continued to push forward and remained committed to our community and most importantly our students. We knew by staying the course and trusting our people would provide our students with the skills necessary to be productive public servants. The unselfishness shown by everyone involved and the determination to be the best put our police academy in a position to apply for this distinction.”

Police Academy Coordinator Darrin Cox also expressed satisfaction with the program and students, which recently had a 100 percent completion rate.

“We currently have 23 instructors representing 13 different agencies teaching in our police academy. They are all top-notch instructors with many years of experience and expertise in their field and the specific topics they instruct,” Cox spoke. “We All take great pride in not only making sure our students are prepared for the workforce upon completion, but that they have the knowledge needed to do an excellent job serving our communities while keeping themselves safe.”

To achieve this sought-after designation, the Southern Ohio Police Academy underwent rigorous review of its policies and methods by the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy (OPOTA).

The academy is part of the offerings at the Scioto County Career and Technical Center’s many skilled trades offered and has been providing resources for officers since 1994.

The academy earned status by exceeding the minimum training of 740 hours by incorporating additional hours of instruction that cover topics such as report writing, driving, and physical conditioning.

“The STAR designation this academy will now hold will let the entire region know that for the best quality education in law enforcement, the Southern Ohio Police Academy is second to none,” Derek Brown, SCCTC Post-Secondary Director, said at the recognition.

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