JANESVILLE — Blackhawk Technical College held a special ceremony Friday to recognize the efforts of 23 students who completed training through the college’s Law Enforcement Recruit Academy.

This was the 93rd class to graduate from the academy, which provides the basic law enforcement training required to become a law enforcement officer in Wisconsin. This also was the inaugural class to use Blackhawk’s new Public Safety center.

“I promise you that each and every one of you will face a situation or circumstance that you are going to believe is a negative experience. But I promise you, that if refuse to view it as a negative and make the decision to turn it into a positive, in the long run, you will have a successful career,” Troy Egger, Academy Director, said to the graduates.

Vincent Stone, the class speaker, reminisced about the memories the class created during the academy that will carry them throughout their career.

“This journey has not been easy, but it has prepared us for a career unlike any other,” said Stone, who works for the Janesville Police Department.

Lt. Richard LeFeber received the Instructor of Excellence Award from the graduates, and Chief Andre Sayles of the Beloit Police Department was the keynote speaker. 

Three students also were recognized for four different awards of excellence:

Academic Achievement Award: Olivia Matz

This award is given to the student with the highest achievement for each of the three end-of-phase tests. The class had a 90 percent average. Matz had a 95 percent average.

“We are extremely proud of Oliva as she was awarded for her academic excellence during the academy with the highest overall test scores,” Green County Sheriff Cody Kanable said.

Deputy Matz will spend the next 12 weeks in field training with experienced deputies navigating Green County and learning the specifics of law enforcement at the Sheriff’s Office.

Outstanding Physical Fitness Award: James Kottke

To graduate, each student has to pass a physical readiness test. This award is given to the student who demonstrated outstanding physical fitness and also showed the most effort in the 32 hours of physical fitness throughout the past 18 weeks.

Ryan Copeland Marksmanship Award Recipient: James Kottke

This award is named after Officer Ryan Copeland, a 2013 academy graduate who was killed in an on-duty traffic crash in 2015 and is given to a student who is ranked top in his class for marksmanship.

Terry Fell Leadership Award: Vincent Stone

This award is named after Terry Fell, who was the academy director for 10 years and former City of Beloit Police Chief, Rock County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy and Rock County Board member. Fell’s legacy is of leadership, honor and sense of duty. The award is given to a student who embodies those characteristics.

Members of Class 24-93:

●  Joelle Bauer, Jefferson Police Department

●  Kyle Brady, Beloit Police Department

●  Tate Breier, Beloit Police Department

●  Craig Corder, Milton Police Department

●  Camden Elve, Janesville Police Department

●  Justin Hansen, Town of Beloit Police Department

●  James Heckelsmiller, Town of Beloit Police Department

●  Connor Hughes, Janesville Police Department

●  Shaylee Ison, Rock County Sheriff’s Office

●  Kyle Kapior, Bloomfield Police Department

●  James Kottke, Beloit Police Department

●  Joseph Martorano, Rock County Sheriff’s Office

●  Olivia Matz, Green County Sheriff’s Office

●  Matthew McCormack, Rock County Sheriff’s Office

●  Catelyn Nolan, Beloit Police Department

●  Drake Robinson, Bloomfield Police Department

●  Kamryn Rohn, Walworth County Sheriff’s Department

●  Nathan Spade, Rock County Sheriff’s Office

●  Clay Spooner, Albany Police Department

●  Vincent Stone, Janesville Police Department

●  Maxton Taylor, Town of Beloit Police Department

●  Nicholas Vaassen, Oregon Police Department

●  Chad Vertz, Rock County Sheriff’s Office