News

RCC Graduates 14 from BLET

Aug 31, 2026

Rockingham Community College celebrated the graduation of 14 students from Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) Class 64 on Monday evening, Aug. 24, marking a significant milestone for a class that achieved a 100 percent pass rate on the North Carolina state certification exam.

The graduates included Kurt GuyGuy Alsiyao, Dalten Grant Anderson, Isaac Jonathan Doman, Darrell Edward Freeland Jr., Elijah Gage Grogan, Damion Scot Hayes, Veronica James Kidwell, Rogen Lipumano, Joseph William Martin, Joshua Owen Martin, Audrey Paige Peters, Amariah Elisabeth Ross, Katelin Brooke Vernon, and Benjamin Chase Wilson.

Members of the class are affiliated with the Eden Police Department, Madison Police Department, Mayodan Police Department, Reidsville Police Department, Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office, Guilford County Sheriff’s Department, and North Carolina State Highway Patrol.

Several graduates were recognized for exceptional achievement during the ceremony.

Class Leader Awards were presented to Rogen Lipumano and Amarea Elisabeth Ross. These are chosen by BLET staff, based on their observation of which students take leadership initiative from the start.

Audrey Peters received the Highest Grade-Point-Average Award with a 93.3 GPA. Peters, whose father, Jon Peters, serves as a BLET qualified assistant at RCC, also earned the only state exam score in the 90s and accepted a full-time law enforcement position the week of graduation.

Other award recipients included Katelin Brooke Vernon, who earned the High Marksmanship Award for Accuracy with a score of 99.6 percent; Benjamin Chase Wilson, who received the High Marksmanship Award for the Defensive Motor Vehicle Qualification Course with a time of 43 seconds; Veronica Kidwell, recipient of the Most Improved Physical Training Award; and Elijah Grogan, who received the Physical Fitness Award.

The class selected Dalten Grant Anderson as the recipient of the Most Outstanding Award, one of the program’s most meaningful honors.

Unlike awards based on grades or performance metrics, the Most Outstanding Award is chosen by fellow classmates.

“We ask them which classmate they would want backing them up on a dangerous call or going through a door with them,” said BLET Qualified Assistant Kelly Lipford. “The classmates pick the award winner.”

Lipford described Anderson as a strong all-around performer who earned the respect of his peers through both his academic and physical performance.

“He was just a good overall student,” Lipford said. “His classmates saw that in him.”

The class also included several notable family connections to the profession. Along with Peters, whose father serves on the program staff, the class included a father-and-son pair completing the program together. Graduate Veronica Kidwell follows her mother into a law enforcement career.

Family members, friends, law enforcement officers, agency leaders, and college officials gathered for the graduation ceremony, which drew approximately 250 attendees. Representatives from law enforcement agencies throughout the region were on hand to recognize the graduates as they prepare to begin or continue careers serving their communities.

“Every student that sat for the exam passed it. That’s something we’re very proud of,” said BLET Director Alan Farrar.

Class 64 was the first RCC cohort to complete North Carolina’s revised BLET 2025 curriculum, which replaced a training model that had been in place since 2000. The new program includes more than 200 additional hours of instruction and places a greater emphasis on practical, hands-on training. RCC’s program exceeded the state’s minimum training requirement, providing students with 898 hours of instruction.

During the five-and-a-half-month program, students completed training in firearms, defensive tactics, driver training, physical training, first responder certification, and numerous other law enforcement disciplines. More than 46 instructors contributed to the training effort.

Twelve of the 14 graduates were already employed by law enforcement agencies while completing the program, while the remaining two were sponsored by agencies.

Farrar said the profession requires more than technical skills.

“You’ve got to have somebody who wants to serve,” he said. “They’re dealing with people on their worst days. It’s not just a job. It’s a calling and a profession.”

Rockingham Community College’s next BLET class begins Sept. 14 and is expected to enroll approximately 14 students. The program helps local law enforcement agencies train future officers close to home while providing individualized instruction through smaller class sizes.

For more images, all courtesy of the Guilford County Sheriff’s Office, scroll through them at https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1507524408083655&set=pcb.1507529091416520

For information on the BLET program at RCC, visit https://tinyurl.com/BLETatRCC.