DANVILLE, Va. – Twenty-one law enforcement officers graduated from the Piedmont Regional Criminal Justice Training Academy Thursday, strengthening police forces across Virginia’s Southside region.
The graduates will serve in multiple localities including Danville, Chatham, Pittsylvania County, and Henry County, bolstering those departments, as others across the nation struggle with staffing shortages.
“It’s a big need right now. All over the county, and I know this because I work with other academies and agencies, the numbers are low,” said Benjamin Rea, director of Martinsville Police Academy.
Rea went on to say that he has seen improvement in recruitment numbers across the Commonwealth.
“We seem to be getting better numbers than we have in the past. It says a lot about what we’re doing as an academy, for the agencies,” said Rea.
The journey through the five-and-a-half-month academy, which focused on law classes and situational training, challenged the recruits. Graduate Matthew Davis acknowledged the difficulties they faced.
“There were some hard times. Sometimes you’d get up and be like I really don’t want to do this anymore,” Davis said. However, teamwork proved essential to their success. “Everyone powered through and stuck together and we made it through as a team and as a family. I honestly couldn’t think of a better group of people I would’ve wanted to go through the academy with.”
For class president Jeremy Lovelace, law enforcement offered a new direction in life.
“When I got out of service, there was like this lull trying to find my purpose again. I got to talking to a few of my friends in law enforcement and it seemed like it was right up my alley,” Lovelace said.
The graduation ceremony included recognition for outstanding recruits and honored two instructors who significantly impacted their training. Now some municipalities are boasting an almost full force. This includes the City of Danville which now has 125 of its 130 officer positions filled.