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| Matt Reynolds (left), SCC’s N.C. Law Enforcement program coordinator; Mitch Boudrot (second from left), SCC’s law enforcement training program director; and Curtis Dowdle (right), SCC’s dean of public safety training; flank graduates of Southwestern’s Basic Law Enforcement Training Class No. 73, from left: Aaron Shumate, Michael Hollifield, Ridge Parris, Ina Driver, Benjamin Murphy, Casey Day, Johnnie Mason, Clayton Creighton, Zachary Holmes and Shawna Burrell. |
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| Matt Reynolds (left), SCC’s N.C. Law Enforcement program coordinator; presents a certificate to BLET graduate Ina Driver of Cherokee. |
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| Matt Reynolds (left), SCC’s N.C. Law Enforcement program coordinator; presents a certificate to BLET graduate Zachary Holmes of Statesville. |
Growing up in the Statesville area, Zachary Holmes was always impressed by how his grandfather – Phil Carlton – conducted himself as an officer of the law for the N.C. Department of Motor Vehicles.
“The way he carried himself, and the way he talked to others – he was always humble and considerate,” Holmes recalled of his grandfather, who retired as a sergeant after 30 years with the DMV before it merged with the highway patrol in the early 2000s. “He always tried to do better for others than he did for himself.”
That’s the primary reason Holmes decided to go into law enforcement himself; he recently completed his Basic Law Enforcement Training through Southwestern Community College’s Public Safety Training Center and was one of 10 graduates honored at a ceremony on Sept. 25 in Franklin.
All SCC 10 graduates passed the state BLET exam. Graduates completed 744 hours of training between February and September.
Holmes, who graduated from Western Carolina University’s Criminal Justice program in May, said SCC’s program wasn’t easy – but it helped him take one step closer to his goal.
“They break you down and build you back up,” Holmes said. “It’s a slow transition toward making you a better person.”
Inspired by his grandfather, Holmes said he wants to “work in law enforcement and make a difference in the community I serve.”
Cherokee resident Ina Driver, one of Holmes’ BLET classmates, has similar goals. Her motivation, however, is quite different.
“I started out working at the detention facility in Cherokee,” said Driver, who was named her BLET class sergeant. “I realized that a lot of the ones being brought in were the youth, and some were people I went through school with. They were throwing away the bright future they had.
“I want to effect change in youth and show them how to get away from the drugs and the violence,” Driver continued. “It’s a chance to join such a tremendous family in our police department.”
For more information about SCC’s public safety training, call 828.306.7041 or visit www.southwesterncc.edu/pstc.
