Trio of W’burg police officers graduate police academy, two with honors

A trio of Williamsburg police officers graduated from the police academy Thursday, including two officers, who graduated with honors.

Williamsburg police officers Trevor D. Teague, Steven Hill and Joseph “Ladale” Rider were among 30 officers, who were part of the Department of Criminal Justice Training (DOCJT) Law Enforcement Basic Training’s Class 502.

Rider and Hill were both recognized as recruits of distinction.

Hill received the Oath of Honor, and was the honor code representative in the class.

Rider and one other officer received the Firearms Proficiency Award, and Rider was also one of four squad leaders, who were recognized during the ceremony.

Both Hill and Rider also received Fit for Duty Awards, noted Williamsburg Police Chief Bird.

“All three of them did excellent in the academy,” Bird said adding that Hill and Rider really excelled both academically and physically.

“The Academy is pretty challenging physically, and it is pretty challenging academically. For somebody that has been out of school for a while to jump back into that academically with that stuff is not easy after you have been out of it for a while,” Bird noted.

“All of the guys were in great shape when they went. You always come out of there in better shape than you came in obviously. They all three did good and all of them are back to work.”

Rider, Hill and Teague are all assigned as school resource officers at the University of the Cumberlands.

Bird noted that two other Williamsburg police officers are in the police academy, and are expected to graduate next month.

Officer Matt Cope is also assigned as a school resource officer at UC. Officer Dorman Patrick Jr. will be assigned as a road officer.

Bird added this was the most police officers that his department has ever had in the police academy undergoing basic training at one time.

There are five Williamsburg Police officers assigned as school resource officers at UC. The other is Officer Eddie Cain, who retired from the department earlier this year, but recently decided to come back to work as a resource officer.

Thursday’s ceremony was held at First Baptist Church in Richmond.

Rider, Hill and Teague completed the 20-week, 800-hour Law Enforcement Basic Training Course, which is mandatory for all Kentucky law enforcement officers, who are required to comply with the 1998 Peace Officers Professional Standards Act.

The Department of Criminal Justice Training provides entry level and advanced individual training for about 9,000 law enforcement personnel annually.

Included in the training are Kentucky city and county police departments, telecommunicators, coroners, sheriff’s offices, university police, state motor vehicle enforcement officers, airport police and other law enforcement officers from local and state criminal justice agencies.