GVSU Police Academy graduation marks 50 years of training officers

Since 1974, the Grand Valley Police Academy has been training the next generation of police officers to serve in their communities. When the academy celebrated its 53rd graduating class of the Basic Police Academy Program on Thursday, it also commemorated its 50th anniversary.

There was no overt pomp and circumstance for the anniversary during the academy’s graduation at the Louis Armstrong Theatre. Police Academy Director Geoffrey Collard wanted to ensure that the celebration was focused on the class of 43 recruits.

“I want to acknowledge the 50th anniversary, but I want to make sure that we’re honoring our recruits, the 15-week commitment they just successfully completed and the decision they’ve made to move into such an important field to keep people safe,” Collard said.

The ceremony began with a welcome from President Philomena V. Mantella, who brought both recruits and their supporters to their feet to offer each other an ovation and a thank you.

“We owe these men and women the kind of respect, consideration, care and gratitude for the service they have given and the service they’ll give to our communities,” Mantella said. “I want to be the first in line to show that to each of you.”

Keynote speaker Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Winstrom shared words of encouragement and advice for the recruits who, he said, were entering a field that is constantly changing and evolving.

“Every call that you go on, every traffic stop that you make and every interaction you have, you will be successful if you remember, 'How would I want this police officer to respond if this was a loved one of mine?'” Winstrom said.

The GVSU Police Academy is recognized across the region as one of the premiere education centers for future law enforcement officers. GVPD Chief Brandon DeHaan noted the strong relationship the academy has with West Michigan.

“Leadership in West Michigan law enforcement begins at the Grand Valley Police Academy,” Chief DeHaan said. “Our department has been honored to have worked closely with the academy over the last 50 years. Lakers for a Lifetime who graduate from the academy make great police officers within our communities as they are familiar with the mission, vision and values of the university.”

Collard mirrored DeHaan’s view of leadership of law enforcement coming out of the academy.

“Very rarely can you go to a department that doesn’t have several GVSU Police Academy graduates, and a lot of those graduates have risen to significant leadership positions,” Collard said. “They are leading the wave of law enforcement into our future.”

This fall, the police academy will move from the Allendale Campus to the newly renovated Frederick Meijer Campus in Holland. The move will allow Collard and the academy’s instructors to save time with a centralized location making it easier to access equipment for training as well as opening the possibility for the academy to extend its schedule beyond 15 weeks.

“They’re working 55 to 65 hours a week most weeks. If we can extend that out to 16 to 17 weeks, then we’re going to hit a spot where they’re here eight-10 hours and they have enough downtime to balance their training with their studies and time to focus on their family,” Collard said.

Forty of the 43 recruits in the graduating class received sponsorship through the academy from agencies across West Michigan, a common sight in recent years. Collard said he believes most agencies will continue to sponsor recruits they plan to hire as new employees.

DeHaan said sponsoring recruits through the academy is a strategy the department is using to bolster their numbers with home-grown talent.

On August 13, GVPD’s sponsored recruits Charles Brower and Caroline Callander will be sworn in by Mantella, officially joining the department in time for the start of the fall semester.