23 graduate from peace officer academy

The Nevada State Peace Officer Academy honored 23 graduates Wednesday night during a commencement ceremony at Western Nevada Community College.

The 2006 WNCC Academy graduates are as follows:

• Carson City - Branden Berry, James Boggan, Robert Egelston, Matthew Foster, Daniel Gaunt, Robert Holbrook, Kyle McAfee, Agustin Medina, Julie Redmond, Charles Stetler and Joseph Trotter.

• Gardnerville - William McDaniel, Eric Schinzing, Frank Valdez and Steven Velez

• Minden - Nicholas Coffron

• Fallon - Larry White

• Reno - Anthony Hernandez, Adam McHugh, and Jerrold Wyatt

• Sparks - Michael Duncan

• Walker River - Brian Howe, Roman Sanchez

Cadets who successfully complete the program are eligible to take the Peace Officer Standards and Training exam and can apply for positions in law enforcement that require Category I, II, or III certifications.

Many of the graduates have already been hired by law enforcement organizations in Northern Nevada.

Valdez and Duncan work for the Storey County Sheriff's Office; Hernandez and Wyatt with the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony; Schinzing and Velez with the Douglas County Sheriff's Office; Holbrook, Howe, and Sanchez with the Walker River Tribal Police Department; Stetler with the Carson City Sheriff's Department; White with the Churchill County Reserves and Redmond with Lyon County Sheriff's Office.

Valdez was honored as class valedictorian for the group, with Schinzing winning the Top Gun award for competition on the firing range. Hernandez was named Top Gun for the emergency vehicle operations course and White was the top sharpshooter of the class.

The Peace Officer Academy is a 30-week, 33.5-credit program offered at WNCC that includes a combination of class work, practical application, and physical training.

The program fulfills requirements toward an associate of applied science degree in law enforcement.