The St. John Parish Sheriff’s Office recently held its 12th class for Peace Officer Standards and Training for Correctional officers. Officers from the SJSO who participated in the 110-hour POST Corrections training graduated June 29, 2021 during a ceremony at the Lloyd B. Johnson Law Enforcement Training Center in LaPlace.
Graduates of Class 2021-02 are Braxten Threeton, Nathan Quinn, Ethan O’Flynn and Charlie Hemphill, Hammond Police Department; and Christopher McCool, Kyron Turley and Ron Cortez, of the St. John Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff Mike Tregre congratulated the officers on their successful completion of this difficult course and advised them to continue to work hard. “This program has given you the tools and the information you need to become a good Corrections officer,” Sheriff Tregre said. ” Now, do your job, and do it to the best of your ability.”
Captain Geo Giovingo, the lead instructor, reminded the graduates that no call is routine.“You have to remember — typical, average and routine — are three words that never ever refer to your job,” he told the officers. “Always stay alert, be careful, … pay attention, …. be on guard.”
Warden Gordon Jeffcoat also offered advice to the new officers. “In Corrections, officers must always be firm, fair, and consistent with all inmates,” he said.
Mental health crisis intervention, specialized training aimed to reduce the risk of serious injury or death during an emergency interaction between persons with mental illness and police officers, was incorporated into most classes. The POST Corrections course also included Racial Intelligence Training and Engagement or RITE, which teaches social, emotional and racial intelligence and addressed other topics such as officer’s duty to intervene and officer wellness. A new defensive tactics system, Police Krav Maga, also was introduced to officers.
“We must keep changing, training, and educating … to provide officers with the intellectual and ethical grounding they need to serve their community,” Giovingo said.
While officers may work in Corrections without being a peace officer, the Corrections certification bestows a higher level of authority to carry out job duties. Students had 110 of coursework including legal aspects, report writing, use of force , CPR/Stop the Bleed , chemical agent, defensive tactics, baton, shotgun, taser, and basic jail guidelines. Officer liability, inmate rights, transporting and escorting inmates, functions of a jail, principles of jail security, suicide prevention, and booking, classification, and release procedures were among the topics discussed.
Captain Giovingo also thanked officers who instructed the classes. Instructors were Captains Blane Rome Jr. and Charles Wale and Lt. Jason Raborn, firearms and taser; Deputy Darren DeSalvo, Deputy Bryce McClendon and Clavin Martin, defense tactics; Lt. Raborn, chemical agent and mental health crisis management; Lt. Denise Bertrand and Lt. Raborn, CPR/first aid and stop the bleed; and Officer Jaeda Giovingo and Lt. Chris Crawford, Racial Intelligence Training and Engagement.