After serving in the active Army for sixteen years, Jerry Rawson says that service comes naturally to him. During his military service, he flew Black Hawk helicopters out of Hunter Army Airfield in Georgia then out of Fort Drum in New York; he served in Afghanistan (2006) and again in Iraq (2009) before retiring from the service in California where he was supporting the National Training Center.
“I’ve always been the type of person who stopped and helped someone who needed help; I’m an idealist,” Jerry claims, which made pursuing a career in law enforcement a logical choice for him. His only fear was that he was too old.
In January 2016, the 40-year-old father of five began the BATC Police Academy with a room full of students who were much younger than him. But his fear of beginning the career much later in his life quickly dissipated as the other students immediately recognized his value. His calm, mature demeanor and humble attitude of service accentuated his experience in dealing with volatile situations to make him a natural leader so class members immediately elected Jerry as the class president.
“I just have a lot of respect for him,” BATC Police Academy Instructor Rod Peterson says. “One thing that sums him up is just what a great example he is to the other students. He’s always on time, calm through training, and is a great decision maker. I think he represents himself and our Police Academy very well.”
Peterson goes on to say that “Law enforcement is such a small part of what we do. There is so much that is service-oriented and I like to try to get our students, right from the very beginning, to have that service in the forefront of their mind. Jerry gets it. He understand the importance of service.”
The BATC Police Academy is committed to instilling high standards into their graduates. Highly qualified instructors provide professional experiences by taking students from the traditional classroom and providing real world, hands-on training. Though the Academy began with 34 students in January, Jerry is one of only 19 that will actually finish the program.
“The Police Academy has a very great staff and faculty. You can tell they are very passionate about what they do,” Jerry states, “but they’re very up font with the students; they don’t give them any false expectations. In fact, if anything, they give them the brutal, honest truth of the profession and it’s nice to know that they’re preparing their students with what they’re getting in to once they complete the academy and work in different law enforcement agencies.” Jerry has recently been hired by the Logan City Police Department where he will work part-time until he graduates on November 17.
For more information about the BATC Police Academy, click HERE.