Home News VGCC law enforcement cadets learn lesson in service by tending to adopted road

VGCC law enforcement cadets learn lesson in service by tending to adopted road

VGCC Students stand for a group picture

Students in the Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) program at Vance-Granville Community College are in training to serve the community, and they recently got a head start with a service project.

Traditionally, students in the VGCC Criminal Justice Technology curriculum program have “adopted” a stretch of Poplar Creek Road near the college’s main campus on Interstate 85 in Vance County. This year, they asked for help from the cadets who are in the one-semester program to prepare for a career in law enforcement.

“I was contacted in early August by Criminal Justice program head Andrea Hyson, who asked if we would mind assisting Criminal Justice with the street cleanup project for Poplar Creek Road,” said Brandon Bishop, director/instructor for BLET. “I was quick to volunteer the BLET Academy class in order to help out. With 17 cadets learning to become well-trained and well-rounded law enforcement officers, I knew we could help accomplish the service project the college had volunteered to complete. I also wanted to use this as a teaching and mentoring activity for the cadets as they embark on their careers.”

Bishop explained that his program certainly trains cadets to understand relevant laws and how to properly enforce them, but there is more to it than that. “I realized that this was an avenue that we as the BLET program could utilize to show cadets that while enforcing laws is a large and important aspect of our jobs, we also share the responsibility of being leaders and caretakers within the communities we serve,” he said. “We, as a profession, need to be grounded in service to our communities and their specific needs, whether those needs are large or small. When these cadets graduate and become sworn officers in our communities, our intention is for them to have obtained a sense of responsibility. We want them to have a sense of ownership for creating change, growth and positivity.”

“A big kudos needs to go out to instructor Tony Clark, Brandon Bishop and the BLET cadets,” Andrea Hyson said. “Usually, Criminal Justice students clean up Poplar Creek Road, but since we were unable to do it this semester, BLET graciously stepped in to take our place. Thank you so much for the teamwork and community service!”

For more information on VGCC law enforcement training, contact Brandon Bishop at (252) 492-2061, ext. 3263 or bishopb@vgcc.edu .