Shannon Litz/Nevada AppealWestern Nevada State Peace Officer Academy valedictorian Melanie Porter speaks during the graduation ceremony on Friday morning at Western Nevada College.
The Western Nevada State Peace Officer Academy honored 18 cadets Friday in a commencement ceremony at Western Nevada College. The cadets successfully completed the 30.5-credit program over the past seven months, and are now eligible to take the Peace Officer Standards and Training exam. Many are also completing Associate of Applied Science degrees at WNC. They can now apply for positions in law enforcement that require Category I, II, or III certifications.
2011 graduates include:
Carson City: Mitchell Tennant Brantingham, Adam Jeremy Brendel, Michael Harter, Chad Michael Plattsmier, Melanie A. Porter, Justin Tyler Pruitt, John Paul Thayer
Dayton: Jerry Lee Peek
Reno: Terence Orlando Burnham, Richard William Fey, Richard Philip Marchant, Jacek Krzysztof Sobol, Jeremey Allen Zichosch
Sparks: Joshua Edward Chaney, Jose Gonzalez, Erik Vernon Pruitt, Brandon Daniel Sheffield
Stagecoach: Jesse Lloyd Mandoki
Cadets receiving additional honors include: Melanie A. Porter, valedictorian; Brandon Sheffield and Jacek Sobol, Top Gun Award for competition on the firing range; Sheffield and Michael Harter, Top Gun Award for the emergency vehicle operations course; and Mitchell Brantingham, Top Sharpshooter.
One cadet has already been hired by the Lovelock Police Department, and another has signed a letter of intent to work for the Nevada Highway Patrol. Eight others are sworn law enforcement reserve officers with the Carson City Sheriff's Office, Storey County Sheriff's Office, or the University of Nevada, Reno.