College Graduates New Law Enforcement Officers

AVON PARK, Fla. — June 5, 2024 — During a ceremony on Thursday, May 30 on the  Highlands Campus in Avon Park, South Florida State College’s (SFSC) Basic Law Enforcement (BLE) Academy Class 272 graduated seven cadets.

BLE Class 272 graduates who received Career Certificates were: Julianna Marie Harrison, Brian Zachary Rhoton, Blanca Juliana Serapio-Vivanco, Robert Michael Smith, Carol Saskia Suarez, Jason Lee Tomblin, and Brody Waters.

During the ceremony, special awards were presented to cadets. Brody Waters was honored as class leader, Julianna Marie Harrison as executive officer, and Jason Lee Tomblin for top academics.

Guest speaker for the graduation was Detective Alice Fletcher of the Hardee County Sheriff’s Office.

SFSC’s Basic Law Enforcement Career Certificate program trains students to become law enforcement officers in Florida. By successfully completing the program, they are eligible to take the state certification examination to become certified law enforcement officers. The program runs 770 contact hours or approximately five months full-time or approximately 10 months part-time.

The SFSC Criminal Justice Academy also offers a Corrections to Law Enforcement (Crossover) Career Certificate program that trains currently employed corrections officers to become law enforcement officers in Florida. Upon successful completion of the program, graduates are eligible to take the state certification examination to become certified law enforcement officers. The program runs 515 contact hours or approximately 10 months part-time.

For more information about these Criminal Justice programs, visit southflorida.edu or call SFSC’s Criminal Justice Academy at 863-784-7285.