OWENSBORO, Ky. (WFIE) – In November, we told you about the opening of a new police academy in Owensboro. Now it’s up and running, and the first recruits say it’s hitting home for them.
(Previous story: OPD brings new police academy to Tri-State region).
“We’re a little over halfway done,” said recruit Derek Jessee.
Academy instructors say that during their 23-week training, they will go through simulations, take multiple tests, attend classes and practice real-life police scenarios.
“They completed driver training, defensive tactics and went to the shooting range,” said academy instructor Lt. Courtney Yerington.
Throughout their training they are making history.
The 10 recruits will be the first to graduate from Owensboro’s new police academy.
“This has been my dream job for as long as I can remember,” Jessee says. “My mom is a firefighter in the Marine Corps; I was a firefighter for 10 years, so it kind of runs in the family.”
He said he decided to change careers after hearing the news that an academy would be opening closer to his home.
“I have two young children, and being home every night means everything to me,” Jessee said.
Until now, the nearest academy was in Richmond, about three hours away.
“You can come home for maybe a day and a half on the weekends. That’s pretty tough,” Jessee said. “I think a lot of people agree that it’s fundamentally changed the application process.”
It was also a turning point for OPD.
“Although they receive excellent training in the Department of Criminal Justice, we can now teach them the policies and procedures of the Owensboro Police Department,” Yerington said.
The numbers seem to prove that it is a win-win situation.
“This class here is obviously a big class, one of the biggest we’ve had in a long time,” Yerington said.
The large class will graduate on November 15th and then begin work at OPD.
“Hopefully I can look back on this and say I made the right decision,” Jessee said.
According to official information, there have already been discussions about setting up a second course and applications will be possible in the future.
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