Family and friends gathered to celebrate the accomplishments of students in College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Law Enforcement program Tuesday, June 20. The program’s third graduation ceremony, held at the Nampa Civic Center, honored 30 students, five of which have already been hired to work at various agencies across the community. Others, like Sarahi Cardoza, plan on continuing their education before embarking on a career.
Program Director, LeRoy Forsman, spoke to graduates encouraging them to always provide the best service possible to the people they serve, support, and protect. He highlighted the importance of never underestimating their ability to be a role model, counseling them to continually work toward building a better future, giving back to the community, and setting an example of kindness.
Forsman, who recently announced his retirement as Program Director, spoke about his passion for teaching and training and how fulfilling his career in law enforcement has been. As part of CWI’s Law Enforcement program from the very beginning, he has been instrumental in both its creation and success.
“Our program is so successful because of the selfless time and effort from our staff and instructors, he said. “We utilize more than 50 working and retired professionals to provide the most up-to-date information and training possible. This benefits our students in an incredible way. They are prepared to take what they've been exposed to in the classroom and put it into practical application on the job. It's really all about sharing knowledge and experience with the next generation of public servants.”
“Building this program and seeing it through has truly been one of the greatest blessings of my life, one of the greatest successes that I count in my career. It’s been a labor of love, and I am very, very proud of what we have accomplished here.”
Michelle Fellows, Interim Department Chair of Public Safety, gave a great tribute to Forsman during the ceremony calling him a hero.
“LeRoy is a hero in all senses of the word; he has ability, strength, courage, noble qualities, and achievement – all of which he brought to the epic task of creating a Law Enforcement program at CWI,” she said. “We are extremely lucky to have had him be the hero behind that work. The foundation he has built in the CWI Law Enforcement program will continue to touch people’s lives and create positive change in our community after he retires.”
Each graduate received a CWI Law Enforcement Challenge Coin and a completion certificate. Top performing students in academics, shooting, and driving training received a plaque recognizing their stellar performance in those disciplines. At the conclusion of the program, Forsman administered the Law Enforcement Code of Ethics and students pledged to follow the strict guidelines outlined for officer’s behavior and conduct.
View the entire graduation ceremony on the CWI YouTube channel.