Ten deputies from the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office have marked the completion of an intensive training program designed to enhance their capabilities within correctional facilities. According to a social media post from the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff's Office, the deputies graduated on Oct. 30 from a 92-hour Corrections Division course in Peace Officers Standards and Training, better known as the P.O.S.T. Corrections academy, as Sheriff James Pohlmann announced.
The graduates of this rigorous course are Dep. Gracie Evick, Dep. Francisco Betancourth, Dep. Brianna Rosas, Dep. Brissa Taylor, Dep. Amanda Smith, Dep. Glen Alvarez, Dep. Brandon Ramirez, Dep. Austin Norton, Dep. Hunter Ricouard, and Dep. Keyshawn Hill Jr., with Deputies Hunter Ricouard and Gracie Evick achieving perfect scores of 100% on their final exam, which is a testament to their dedication and the high standards set by the academy. The comprehensive curriculum of the academy covers a variety of essential topics such as defensive tactics and booking procedures, alongside report writing and the use of force lesson plans which aims to ready officers for the practical challenges they may face in prison environments or Juvenile Detention Centers.
Real-world applicability is a crucial aspect of the P.O.S.T. academy training, as shown by the requirement that each officer be pepper-sprayed, which allows them to gain a firsthand understanding of the tool's effects and thus are trained in the use of pepper spray. The training team included Maj. Dennis Morgan, Sgt. Darlene Ricks, Sgt. Louis Mowers, and, not seen in the group photo, Lt. Kyle Brown, Lt. Jodie Couture, and Sgt. Rosalyn Cantrell, all experienced members of the Corrections Division.
In a photo accompanying the Sheriff's Office post, the proud faces of the graduates alongside their instructors can be seen; from the left in the first row are Maj. Dennis Morgan, Dep. Gracie Evick, Dep. Francisco Betancourth, Dep. Brianna Rosas, Dep. Brissa Taylor, Dep. Amanda Smith, Sgt. Darlene Ricks, and in second row are Dep. Glen Alvarez, Dep. Brandon Ramirez, Dep. Austin Norton, Dep. Hunter Ricouard and Dep. Keyshawn Hill Jr., Sgt. Louis Mowers. The St. Bernard Parish Sheriff's Office ensures that such educational endeavors are not merely ceremonial but are part of a broader mission to 'keep St. Bernard safe,' a motto that resonates through all levels of their operations as depicted in the hashtag #KeepingStBernardSafe.
