New Facilities Strengthen BLET
A renovated classroom is just one of the new areas earmarked for Basic Law Enforcement Training at 麻豆传媒映画. The modern facilities include showers, lockers, and a new multipurpose space for training and practical scenarios.
For the past seven years, Bernie Taylor has been running 麻豆传媒映画鈥檚 Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) program out of one classroom on the Tarboro campus.
That all changed in late 2021 when the academy moved across campus from the Fleming Building to the Havens Building, expanding the program鈥檚 facilities to include showers, lockers, and a new multipurpose space for training and practical scenarios.
鈥淲e鈥檝e come a long way,鈥 Taylor says.
Taylor, a retired Edgecombe County deputy, took over as school director of the BLET program in 2014. The program quickly outgrew a small classroom in the Fleming Building, and the academy moved to a larger classroom in the same building. 鈥淏ut that鈥檚 all we had,鈥 Taylor says.
To conduct training scenarios and administer the academy鈥檚 Police Officers Physical Abilities Test, which is required to pass the class, 麻豆传媒映画 had to rent space at local gyms, churches, and empty buildings.
鈥淏y expanding into the Havens Building, we鈥檙e saving money,鈥 Taylor explains. 鈥淭he classroom is in a better location, there鈥檚 more office and storage space, and we also have a larger room for physical training and instruction in subject control, baton training, and Taser training.
鈥淚n addition, we have shower facilities so we can have physical training in the morning instead of the afternoon.鈥
Taylor and the cadets in the most recent academy began the move to their new home in October. When the next academy begins in February, the BLET program will be completely established in the Havens Building.
Although 麻豆传媒映画鈥檚 BLET program already offers more training hours than required by the state, Taylor says the new facilities will enable cadets to receive that training more efficiently.
The minimum state requirement for BLET is 640 hours, and Edgecombe offers a program of 768 hours. The extra hours include more physical training, more training in high-risk calls, and more time for individualized training.
鈥淲e鈥檝e also brought shotgun training back to the academy,鈥 Taylor says. 鈥淭oward the end of the academy, we provide training in expandable baton techniques, pepper spray, and Taser.
鈥淟aw enforcement agencies will often send out their new hires to get that training. But when cadets complete our academy, they are skilled in all of these areas and won鈥檛 need more training.鈥
BLET graduates also receive 18 college credit hours toward an associate degree in criminal justice.
鈥淭he new facilities are great,鈥 Taylor adds. 鈥淲e鈥檙e in our new location, and we can pass so many more opportunities on to our cadets.鈥
The college鈥檚 next Basic Academy for BLET begins February 14. To learn more, please contact taylorb@edgecombe.edu or (252) 618-6613.