Three future Juneau Police Department officers graduated from the Public Training Academy in Sitka this past Friday.
Joseph Paden, Mattie Rielly and Ronald Shriver walked across the stage in Sitka on Friday and will join JPD shortly.
The three future JPD officers are part of a 27-person class that is sending graduates to police departments from the North Slope to Nome to Metlakatla, as well as the Alaska State Troopers. According to a release from the Department of Public Safety, graduates went through 1,009 hours of training during the past 15 weeks. The training, referred to as Alaska Law Enforcement Training (ALET), involves intense instruction on law enforcement techniques, physical fitness and scenario-based exercises.
Friday’s ceremony took place at the Sheet’ka Kwaan Naa Kahidi Tribal Community House in Sitka. During the ceremony, Shriver was awarded as the class’ Honor Graduate. Lt. Chad Goeden, who is the commander of the academy, said the award is given based on a class vote for the student who best displays the traits of virtue, ethics and integrity.
“This person is the one who best displays the highest standards that law enforcement officers set for themselves and that the public expects and deserves,” Goeden said of the title of honor graduate.
Goeden said during the ceremony that Shriver, a former correctional officer at Lemon Creek Correctional Center, was “selected by a wide margin” by his classmates for the award.
