The Simpson County Law Enforcement Training Academy graduated its 12th class of law enforcement officers on October 27.
This year the academy had 13 new recruits and two refreshers for a total of 15 participants. All of the graduates have already received job offers. The academy generally accepts up to 30 cadets but reduced the number by half to ensure social distancing and sanitation. Clay McPherson oversees the training and said the academy ran smoothly in spite of the pandemic.
The graduation ceremony was held at Simpson Academy, where Congressman Michael Guess served as the keynote speaker officially welcoming the officers to the force. McPherson expressed thanks to Sheriff Paul Mullins for seeing the value in the program and for his continued support of the Simpson County Law Enforcement Officer Training Academy. He also thanked Co-Lin.
SCLEOTA began in 2008 and holds an annual training class that has certified over 125 officers. The Academy is located in Mendenhall and is run by the Simpson County Sheriff Department and sponsored by Co-Lin Community College Work force program. They train law enforcement officers to be part time employed. SCLEOTA is authorized to teach under the State of Mississippi Board of Minimum Standards and Training for LEO's.
The academy is staffed by state certified law enforcement officers. Upon completion of the class, students are eligible to hold Part Time Law Enforcement Training Certificate as long as they are employed by a law enforcement agency.
Clay McPherson has been a part of the program since its inception. He has been an instructor since 1983 and continues to travel the state conducting training. McPherson helped start a similar program in Hinds in 1996 and was asked by former Sheriff Kenneth Lewis to start a program in Simpson County. The program officially began in 2008 and has grown since then.
McPherson said, “We only use qualified state instructors and we train officers on everything from defensive driving, domestic violence, self-defense tactics, law, force continuum, and how to deal with other cases. Officers are getting some of the best training in the state here at SCLEOTA.”
McPherson explained that SCLEOTA graduates have a 95 percent retention rate and employment rate. There are two types of cadets accepted into SCLEOTA which are self-sponsored and department sponsored.
McPherson explained that this year’s training has been different on account of the pandemic, but also the training has evolved to fit modern standards and practices. He explained that officers received training on how to conduct interviews safely and maintain social distancing under pandemic standards.
He said, “The training has been modified to keep up with the times in terms of the use of force. We are spending more time doing sensitivity and de-escalation training.” McPherson feels this is necessary to keep everyone safe, officers and citizens.
