Seventeen recruits graduated from Allan Hancock College’s CORE Custody Academy Nov. 21 in a ceremony at the college’s Public Safety Training Complex at the Lompoc Valley Center.
Sixteen of the 17 members of Class #05 from the college’s CORE Custody Academy will serve as custody deputies for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office; one is an independent custody deputy.
The 16 will maintain custody and supervise the work and conduct of inmates within the Santa Barbara County jail system.
“What we saw here today is what community college is all about,” said Allan Hancock College Superintendent/President Kevin G. Walthers. “We are preparing outstanding men and women for public service.
“We are honored and grateful for the courage, dedication and commitment our graduates are demonstrating as they enter the law enforcement profession,” Walthers said.
The graduates completed a comprehensive California Standards and Training for Corrections, which included 220 hours of instruction. The six-week academy is designed to prepare students mentally, morally, emotionally and physically to work as correctional officers.
Some of the instruction included emergency planning in a custody facility, report writing, ethics, investigation procedures, contraband, arrest and control, physical fitness training, CPR/First Aid, and emergency vehicle operations.
The graduates also received specific direct supervision training, which will be the inmate management strategy at the new jail where many of them will likely be assigned when it opens in 2019, said Kelly Hoover, Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office public information officer.
The graduates range in age from 21-51 and entered the academy with a variety of backgrounds and life experiences. The graduates are:
Steven Akiyoshi, Mayra Andrade, Alejandro Barba, Jorge Batalla-Velasquez, Anthony Castillo, Arianna Espinoza, Tyler Fielding, Jason Kamiya, Bradley Luis, Christian Mejia, Joel Mena, Carlos Nunez, Ignacio Rosiles, Zach Salce, Kevin Trejo, Jasmine Velasquez, and Jerrett Wilson.
Custody deputy Andrade was chosen as the class valedictorian, custody deputy Wilson received the Leadership Award, and custody deputy Batalla-Velasquez received the Ron Battles (Most Inspirational) Award.
Most of the academy instructors are working or retired correctional officers or police officers who not only instruct the STC required curriculum, but share their skills, knowledge and job experiences to enable academy recruits to render professional and efficient service within a custody environment.
To learn more about the CORE Custody Academy or the law enforcement training program at Allan Hancock College, visit www.hancockcollege.edu/pstc or call 1-805-922-6966, ext. 3284.
— Lauren Milbourne for Allan Hancock College.