FARMINGTON — Five correctional officers graduated recently from the first Basic Corrections School held at the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office.
This first class included two officers for Franklin County, Amber Ryan and Russell Dodge; one for Oxford County, Danna Petrie; and two for Androscoggin County, Dominique Belanger and Alec Duquette.
Franklin County was the first to start and hold the school for five weeks, with 200 hours of instruction, Franklin County Sheriff Scott Nichols Sr. said. Other counties have since started programs.
When the Maine State Criminal Justice Academy in Vassalboro postponed a September class for correctional officers until January, “we couldn’t wait,” said Nichols. “We saw a need and decided to hold a class.”
The Sheriff’s Office worked with the academy to set up the training class in Farmington, he said. Oxford and Androscoggin counties also had potential officers to train and joined with Franklin.
“It shows the strength of the Sheriff’s Association for you to take the lead to put on a class like this,” Oxford County Sheriff Wayne Gallant said at the graduation. “They were trained well. It is a good example to all the sheriff’s offices.”
It also saved time and travel to the academy, he said.
“The class went well and we hope you’ll stick around,” Nichols told the students.
“It is a demanding job,” he said. Police officers on the street deal with an arrest for minutes while correctional officers deal with them sometimes for months, he said. “It takes strong interpersonal skills.”
The graduates will fill the roster at Franklin County Detention Center with one full-time and one reserve officer, he said.
“You are joining a tight-knit family,” Androscoggin County Sheriff Eric Sampson told the graduates.
Somerset County also provided training. Somerset Staff Development Specialist Michael Berube helped with restraint training.
There was an added benefit in that training took place in these real facilities, not an improvised scenario, Nichols said.
“A lot of instructors from our county go to the academy to help train,” Maj. Doug Blauvelt, detention center manager, said.
In addition, the Department of Corrections, Farmington Fire and Rescue, Evergreen Behavioral Services, Maine State Prison and MedPro staff members assisted with the training.
“It took a lot of help to teach,” Nichols said. “It was a team effort.”
And test results show the overall quality of instruction, he said. The students rated a 92.6 average on their 120-question certification test.
The academy tester said it was the highest average for a class he had seen in a long time. Another recent class averaged scores in the 80s, Blauvelt said.
Previously, the academy offered an 80-hour training for two weeks but has bumped the training up to 200 hours, Nichols said. Training covered subjects such as ethics, sociology, investigations, correctional standards and dealing with inmates who are disabled or suffer from mental illness.
The training also included work on sexual assault investigations, report writing, court testimony, understanding body language, inmate classification and discipline and suicide recognition. There was also training in the mechanics of restraint and control, practical cell extractions and live jail shakedowns for contraband, Nichols said.
The kitchen staff at the correctional center, Lorna Nichols and Cathy Espeaignnette, also helped provide food for the students, which saved more time for training, Nichols said.
Blauvelt ended the ceremony by reading and then giving each officer a framed copy of “The Forgotten Cop.”
“Don’t let anyone ever tell you — you are just a corrections officer,” he told them. “You are a professional. It is an important job that we do.”
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