Preparing to Protect and ServeLaw Enforcement Regional Training Academy

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Captain Collie Birnie

The Law Enforcement Regional Training Academy (LERTA), formerly the Flint Police Training Academy, is an educational opportunity for individuals interested in pursuing law enforcement careers. Operating under the authority of Mott Community College Public Safety Chief Jamie Zecman, LERTA is located at the MCC Southern Lakes Branch Center in Fenton Township. The Academy moved to this location in 2011 and the first training session was held in 2012.

According to Training Director Lt. Eric Rodgers, much credit for LERTA’s success goes to its former Director, Lt. David Livingston, who succumbed to cancer in July of 2024. “David was very instrumental in bringing LERTA to what it is today,” states Rodgers, who took over as director after Livingston’s passing. Dunell Chaney previously served as training coordinator but has since retired. “They ran the Academy together,” Rodgers notes. Sgt. Joseph Hall assumed Chaney’s position as training coordinator.

LERTA offers two rigorous 16-week police training sessions each year, September – December and January – May. The LERTA staff includes the training coordinator, training director and Staff Assistant Kitty Severance, who handles the paperwork, budget planning and more.

On December 19, 2024, 31 recruits graduated from a class consisting of 36 participants of which 31 had already been hired by police agencies, Rodgers reports. The five students who have not been recruited receive 46 credit hours and 16 credit hours toward their degree in criminal justice or other related fields.

What is a day of LERTA training like? According to the training director, the structure of the curriculum is a combination of traditional classroom and practical skills exercises. Recruits arrive daily for training prior to 5am for one hour of physical training and one hour of defensive tactics training. They then shower and dress in uniform for classroom instruction beginning at 8am.

The 31 LERTA Session 25 graduates include:

Miles Allen
Nolan Allen
Hunter Basnec
Christian Bowman
Derek Burkamper
Maria Carreno
Tyler Clack-Allen
Stephen Conner
Tyler Dunbar
Grant Fiewig
David Gibson
Ashton Good
Abbey Gordon
Keegan Harburn
Hayden Hughes
Hunter Kimery
Terrance Knight
Sarah LaRose
Keith Lyon
Ivie McCloud
Caleb Mills
Damen Okamoto
Noah Risinger
David Robertson Jr.
Donovan Ross
Justin Ryder
Kelsey Saunders
Kyle Seeley
Jacob Villarreal
Daniel Webb
Sebastian Williams II

Our whole purpose is to help our community and to equip our trainees with tools they can use to do that.” Lt. Eric Rodgers, LERTA Training Director

Curriculum is based on the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards (MCOLES), which sets the employment standards for Michigan law enforcement officers and is taught by various experts in the legal and law enforcement fields. “Attorneys come in to teach the recruits about subjects such as criminal and civil law,” Rodgers explains, adding that other experts teach the recruits how to conduct themselves, unbiased policing, patrol procedure and more. LERTA also teaches recruits how to operate speed-measuring devices including radar and LIDAR, which is similar to radar but uses lasers instead of radio waves.

Recruits and students receive training in weapons familiarization – pistols, shotguns and rifles – as well as safety procedures. They are also trained in Police Vehicle Operation, practicing driving skills on rented tracks. “We teach them how to operate a police vehicle in emergency situations,” Rodgers explains. “This is just the tip of the iceberg. They learn something new and different every day for 16 weeks. They are prepared to work the streets after this training.”

Recently, the State of Michigan mandated behavioral crisis training, which teaches law enforcement officers how to identify if a situation involves a person with autism or mental illness. “We are in the profession of helping people,” Rodgers states. “Our whole purpose is to help our community and to equip our trainees with tools they can use to do that.”

The Collin Birnie Award was created to honor former Flint Police Captain, Collin Birnie, who was tragically killed on February 4, 2022 when his police vehicle was struck by a reckless driver. He would give an award to the non-sponsored recruit who had the highest overall GPA and displayed overall leadership skills. The recipient of the Session 25 Collin Birnie Award is Hayden Hughes.

The Session 25 graduation ceremony was held on December 19, 2024.

Once they complete their training, the recruits must pass a written test and a practical test. Topics include: Constitutional law, criminal procedure, search warrant and arrest procedures, investigation procedures including witness interview, and procedures for identifying suspects, to name a few. “We have a high success rate here,” boasts the training director. “In the last session, 100 percent of the class passed the State exam. This is what drives every instructor who teaches here.” Recruits are given two chances to pass the exam and if they do not, they have to repeat the entire training session.

While the law enforcement training at LERTA is open to anyone, the majority of participants are male, according to Rodgers.

Prior to becoming the training director, Rodgers was a police officer for 20 years and a LERTA instructor for seven years. He finds his role at LERTA to be very rewarding and especially satisfying to see the recruits succeed. “It brings a smile to our faces and brings us joy that they made it over the hurdle!” he exclaims. But this is just the beginning for them as they continue to learn through field training at the departments that recruit them, he adds.”I enjoy it. It has been a very good and rewarding career for me. I realize that it is the greatest job in the world – we help people.”

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