Seventeen men and women will graduate from the Rhode Island Department of Correction’s Correctional Officer Training Academy Class 78 on Friday, September 24th, at 2 p.m. at Rhode Island College’s Sapinsley Hall in Providence.
The traditional “Inspection of the Graduates” by Corrections Director Ashbel T. Wall II will take place at 1:45 p.m. and the official ceremony will begin at 2.
Following an invocation by RIDOC Chaplain Martha Paone and a welcome by Paul Kennedy, Chief of Recruitment and Training, the Director will deliver a brief address. Col. Brendan Doherty, Superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police, has been invited to give the keynote. Awards will be presented, the class valedictorian will share remarks, the oath of office and certificates will be presented by Director Wall, and finally the graduates will be presented and accepted by Director Wall, Assistant Director for Institutions & Operations Nancy Bailey, and Paul Kennedy.
During the arduous nine-week Academy, participants underwent CPR certification, weapons qualification, defensive tactics instruction, classroom instruction on topics such as the law as it relates to Correctional Officers and communications skills, and weekly exams.
Applicants had to pass a Director’s interview panel, a video and written exam, a physical fitness test, a criminal history check, an extensive background check, a medical review, and psychological and drug tests in order to earn a slot in the class.