Thirteen graduates of Victoria College’s Law Enforcement Academy Class #99 were honored at a ceremony on Dec. 6 at VC’s Emerging Technology Complex.
Thirteen Law Enforcement Academy cadets who graduated from Victoria College’s 99th Basic Peace Officer Certification class were honored at a graduation ceremony on Dec. 6 at the Conference & Education Center at VC’s Emerging Technology Complex.
Johnny Amador of Victoria was named class valedictorian, and Roman Mancias of Victoria received the John Baylor Award for Outstanding Achievement. The award is named in honor of the former Victoria Police Department officer and is given to the “most outstanding student” as selected by class instructors.
Victoria County Sheriff Justin Marr was the graduation speaker.
“You will play instrumental roles in peoples’ lives that you may meet only once, and often hear criticism,” Marr said. “Although some of this may sound horrible, rest assured that this is the most rewarding career path you can take. Even though you may deal with people at the lowest points of their lives, you actually will have a chance to make a positive impact, and sometimes change peoples’ lives.”
Other graduates were Bennie Benavidez, Daniel Sanchez, Antonio Acosta, Jonathan West, Jacob Basaldua, Justin Schau, Nicole Himich and Jacob Ordonez, all of Victoria; Domingo Luna and Nicholas Rodriguez of Beeville; and Juan Jimenez of Stockdale.
All 13 of the graduates passed the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) examination to become a certified peace officer in Texas and have been employed by a law enforcement agency.
VC offers two academies a year – one during the fall semester and another during the spring semester. Both academies are held Monday through Friday with classes meeting 8 to 10 hours a day.
For more information on VC’s Law Enforcement Academy, call (361) 573-3291 or email James.Martinez@VictoriaCollege.edu.
Photo caption: Pictured are, front row from left, instructors Herb Tucker, former Victoria County Sheriff’s Office captain; Tony Daniel, Victoria County Sheriff’s Office investigator; James Martinez, Victoria College Law Enforcement Academy director; and Chris Carter, Victoria County Sheriff’s Office corporal. Graduates pictured are, second row from left, Johnny Amador, Nicole Hinich and Jacob Ordonez; third row, Justin Schau, Roman Mancias and Nicholas Rodriguez; fourth row, Antonio Acosta, Juan Jimenez, Jonathan West and Jacob Basaldua; and, back row, Bennie Benavidez, Domingo Luna and Daniel Sanchez.