Black River Technical College Law Enforcement Training Academy (LETA) was established in 1999 to meet the training needs of northeast Arkansas. Since then there have been over 2100 graduates from the program.
The Basic Training Academy includes approximately 600 hours of classroom and lab experiences as accredited by the Arkansas Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training (CLEST). The program is open only to full-time law enforcement officers approved by CLEST for enrollment. Successful completion of the program signifies graduates meet statutory training requirements and are eligible for state certification as law enforcement officers as well as a Certificate of Proficiency from the Arkansas Department of Higher Education.
LETA offers two thirteen-week Basic Police Training Academies per year. It consists of intensive instruction in standard police tactics, firearms, legal, educational, technical and tactical skills, physical education and conditioning, community relations, traffic crash investigation and enforcement, criminal justice system, first aid and safety, and ethics.
LETA also offers advanced classes throughout the year at various locations.
Bridgette Rose
Administrative Specialist III
Law Enforcement Training Academy
(870) 248-4000 ext. 4190
Fax: 870-248-4090
bridgette.rose@blackrivertech.edu
Jared Bassham
Director
Law Enforcement Training Academy
(870) 248-4000 ext. 4193
Fax: 870-248-4090
jared.bassham@blackrivertech.edu
AG HOSTS LAW ENFORCEMENT TRAINING AT BRTC
POCAHONTAS, AR (KAIT) – Monday, April 9th 2018, 5:23 pm CDT. In an emergency situation, seconds count, and the skill level and knowledge of emergency responders can mean the difference between life and death.
BRTC LAW ENFORCEMENT TRAINING ACADEMY GRADUATION GUEST SPEAKER
BRTC Law Enforcement Training Academy (LETA) Director Steve Shults is pleased to announce the guest speaker for the Fall 2016 LETA graduation will retired Pennsylvania State Police senior trainer and former Marine Robert Bemis.
In March 2015, Sergeant Robert Bemis was responding to a vehicle fire on I-81 in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, when a passing vehicle hit Sergeant Bemis’ police cruiser, throwing him into the air. He endured multiple surgeries and spent two years in rehabilitation before retiring from the state police in January of 2017. Today, he continues to serve as a senior trainer with the Pennsylvania State Police. Bemis was a state trooper for 24 years. Prior to this service, he spent 6 years in the U. S. Marines, even providing security for President Ronald Reagan’s helicopter, Marine One.
According to his website, “Bob now continues to serve others by sharing the experience of his final 22 months as a Trooper. His lectures have an inspirational message of resilience that spans a wide spectrum of audiences, and his book, Forged in Scars & Stripes: A Trooper’s Victory Over Critical Injury showcases the fraternal bond shared by all who are called to serve.”
Fall 2016 LETA graduation will be held on Friday, November 16 at 1:00 p.m. in the Randolph County Development Center on the Pocahontas campus. The public is invited to attend.
BRTC LETA HOLDS GROUND BREAKING CEREMONY FOR OFFICER MEMORIAL WALL
A ground breaking ceremony for an BRTC Officer Memorial Garden will be held on the north side of the Law Enforcement Training Academy (LETA) building on the Pocahontas campus of Black River Technical College on Friday, April 5 at 10 a.m. Several family members of the lost officers are expected to attend. Anyone desiring to show support for law enforcement is welcome.
The Black River Technical College Law Enforcement Training Academy (LETA) has been in operation since 1999. Since that time, approximately 1,800 young men and women have graduated and are now serving the citizens of Arkansas as officers for city, county and state agencies. Three LETA graduates have lost their lives in the line of duty after graduating: One from a vehicle crash, one from an aircraft crash, and one from a gunshot wound.
The project resulted from a discussion with LETA Class 2017B about how to honor the LETA graduates’ and future sacrifices. Class 2017B decided to construct a brick memorial on the north side of the LETA complex which will remind enrolled officers their training must be taken seriously and to honor those who have served before them. The memorial will include flags in a garden-like setting and will serve as a focus for morning and afternoon formations and flag services.
A large portion of the funding is from brick sponsorship. Donors may have a message engraved on a paver stone.
To support the memorial wall, contact the BRTC Law Enforcement Training Academy at (870) 248-4190 or contact any current of former graduate.
BRTC RECEIVES $560,000 GRANT FOR NEW B.A.T MOBILE
POCAHONTAS, AR June 24 – Black River Technical College had the opportunity to upgrade its Blood Alcohol Testing (B.A.T.) Mobile. The B.A.T. Mobile is funded through a grant from the Arkansas Highway Safety Office under the Arkansas State Police. This year, BRTC was awarded $565,570 for the program and to cover the costs of a new vehicle. The program was created at BRTC in 2008 and has been funded each year since.
The BRTC B.A.T. Mobile is used to provide advanced training and on-site technical and equipment support to law enforcement officers and agencies conducting low-staffing and multi-agency sobriety checkpoints in order to deter impaired driving. It is available for use by all law enforcement agencies in the state of Arkansas and B.A.T. Project Instructor Ashley Boles who leads the program makes sure the B.A.T. Mobile is available for tours at schools and community events.
The new B.A.T. Mobile is a 38- foot long, 13.5-foot tall Freightliner truck built by MBF Industries in Sanford, Florida. It is equipped with 9 cameras which provide a 360-degree recorded coverage of sobriety checkpoint activities, 5 on the exterior, 2 on the interior, and 1 on the 30-foot LED light tower which offers a bird’s eye view of the checkpoint. The interior cameras record officers performing Standardized Field Sobriety Tests (SFSTs) and Drug Recognition Evaluations (DREs). The last camera system on the vehicle is a Hawkeye HGN camera system that magnifies and records eye movements during the administration of the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) portion of the SFST. All interior cameras are equipped with audio recording.
The B.A.T. Mobile is also equipped with hydraulic leveling jacks to level the surface in order for a subject to perform the two psychophysical tests of the SFSTs in a neutral environment. There is also an exam room and equipment onboard to complete drug recognition evaluations.
The B.A.T. Mobile is equipped with a Verizon 5G wireless router, Dish Network, and a satellite phone. The rear of the B.A.T. Mobile has a 36″x 60″ LED message board for traffic advisories, public service messages, and promotional pictures. The B.A.T. Mobile is also equipped with the following equipment for checkpoints: traffic cones, warning signs, safety flares, portable speed bumps, and portable stop signs.
To learn more about the B.A.T. Mobile or schedule it, contact Mr. Ashley Boles at (870) 248-4197 or ashley.boles@blackrivertech.edu.
left to right: Sellars, Holcombe, Porter, Kirk, Resendiz
POCAHONTAS, AR. Dec. 2— BRTC’s Law Enforcement Training Academy currently has 5 women enrolled in its Basic Police Training Course 2020-B. All of these women feel that they have a lot to offer this male-dominated profession. They all strongly desire to be a help to their communities and role models to young girls.
Brianna Porter of the West Memphis Police Department previously worked as a pharmacy technician and a crisis counselor but felt that she could be more effective in her community as a member of the police force, so she enrolled in the BRTC’s LETA program. Officer Porter’s goal is to become a federal agent.
Casey Sellars of the Mississippi County Sheriff’s Department served the United States military and is currently seeking a Bachelor of Criminology. After completing her LETA training and criminology degree, Officer Sellars would like to work in Criminal Investigation as a CID detective.
Abi Resendiz, originally from Uruapan, Michoacan (Mexico), moved to Arizona when she was 3 years old. She moved to Arkansas when she was 14 and became a United States citizen the October of 2019. She is employed by the Sherwood Police Department. Her desire as an officer is “to be the voice and have someone’s back.”
Rachel Holcombe is working for the Marion Police Department. Officer Holcomb wishes to keep her daughter and others safe by serving the community in which she lives. She would like to continue to advance her career in the Marion Police Department.
Stephanie Kirk of the Blytheville Police Department has dreamed of being in law enforcement since she was a small child and feels that it is her calling. She desires to advance her career by becoming CID detective.
BRTC is thankful that these women are willing to risk their lives to serve their communities and would like to congratulate them on their achievements. For more information about the BRTC’s LETA, visit https://blackrivertech.org/academics/service-programs/leta.
RECEIVE A CERTIFICATE OF PROFICIENCY IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE BY MAY!
BRTC Paragould is offering the Certificate of Proficiency in Criminal Justice via online and evening classes. Through the following schedule, you can graduate with your entire certificate by this coming May!
For more information, contact BRTC Paragould at (870) 239-0969 ext. 5000.
This certificate program is currently pending ADHE approval.