Blue Ridge Community College’s Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) program recently received a donation of five two-way tactical radios provided by the law enforcement nonprofit, STAND T.A.L.L., or Thank A Local Lawman.
Blue Ridge Dean of Public Safety Training Philip Hosmer made the call to the nonprofit, requesting the radios for cadet training purposes.
STAND T.A.L.L. has provided support for the Blue Ridge police department in the past. This is possible because unrestricted funds may be provided by STAND T.A.L.L. to law enforcement for equipment replacement or replenishment requested by the departments as long as the requested item(s) is not provided in their community budgets.
According to STAND T.A.L.L., recruiting students for training to become future members of law enforcement has only become more challenging recently. The costs for tuition, books, uniforms and training equipment is not always fully covered, and some critical needs may go unmet.
The two-way radios the cadets previously used are no longer state-of-the art, and this year’s BLET budget didn’t cover the costly replacements needed for current training needs. All police carry radios, and being able to use the most modern technology in training prepares the students for what they will experience in the field on active duty.
Hosmer stated, “The ability of the law enforcement officer to stay in constant communication with their agency is crucial to their individual safety and to their ability to serve the public. This donation of radio units to the Blue Ridge Community College Basic Law Enforcement Training Program by Stand T.A.L.L. will improve our cadet’s ability to communicate in stressful situations to assure that proper assistance is available to them as well as to the public.”
Ron Kauffman, president of STAND T.A.L.L. noted that, “Law enforcement is critical to the safety and security of all of us. Providing support to these cadets in training is just one way for us to help by providing the BLET program with current technology. While STAND T.A.L.L. is perhaps best known for our support of the area’s law enforcement K-9 departments, we do much more, and this is just another example of the fulfillment of our mission.”