By Jamie Miller
Bryant has recently added two new faces to the fleet of police officers that they have. Adam VanVeleen and Steve Miller completed the Black River Technical College’s 13-week Police Academy on Nov. 15 after enduring many weeks of vigorous mental and physical tests. Since returning home, both officers have started shifts at the Police Department.
“My experience at the Police Academy was very humbling,” said VanVeleen. “It really brought into perspective the reality of putting my life on the line for others. I quickly realized that I would have to push myself very hard physically and mentally in order to gain a full experience from the Academy.”
According to Blackrivertech.org, “the Criminal Justice program provides educational experiences and credentials needed by individuals already employed in or desiring careers in law enforcement … Students receive educational experiences in practical, theoretical, and technical applications of law enforcement, and gain knowledge and understanding of the courts and corrections, and the interaction between social and educational services and the criminal justice system.”
While Officer Miller and Officer VanVeelen were enrolled at the academy, they received over 600 hours of classroom and lab experiences as accredited by the Arkansas Commission on Law Enforcement Standards.
The program at BRTC is only offered twice per year and the students have intensive instruction in “standard police tactics, firearms, legal, education, technical and tactical skills, physical education and conditioning, community relations, traffic crash investigation and enforcement, criminal justice system, first aid and safety, and ethics.”
“My experience at the Academy was like nothing I have ever experienced before,” said Miller. “I was pushed and challenged physically and mentally on a daily basis.”
Officer VanVeelen served in the Navy for four years and feels that his experiences in that environment helped to prepare him for this new profession. “Having military training helped me adjust to the chain on command and rank structures of the department,” he said.
Officer Miller played collegiate sports and feels that this helped prepare him for the teamwork and discipline needed to be an effective and efficient police officer. “When you are part of a team, you pull your weight and do everything in your power to help your team win,” he said. “The same applies to being a Police Officer.”
“Becoming a Bryant Police Officer has been a great blessing to me and my family,” Officer VanVeelen concluded.
