The 35 trainees who will graduate from the BLE class are men and women who had no prior police training and had never taken the state certification test.  Their training program was 35-weeks long and they had to meet the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) requirements to take the state certification test.

The 20-week CTA class was comprised of 20 trainees who attended another outside training academy and took and passed the state certification test, on their own.  They then applied to and were hired by MDPD.  Their training by MDPD reinforced some areas they had already covered, then focused on MDPD specific training covering policy and procedures, firearms usage and defensive tactics, among other areas.

40 of next Thursday's graduates are officers who had worked for other police departments.  They completed the seven-week LAT class, which focused on MDPD Policies and Standard Operating Procedures.  Additionally, they completed the required annual firearms certification and Electronic Control Device qualification, among other areas.

Guest speakers at Thursday's graduation ceremony will be County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez and MDPD Acting Director Juan Perez.

Media is welcome to attend.