Graduation exercises were held on Friday at 2:00pm for the 53rd Frederick Police Academy.
The Student Officer Training class began on March 5th, 2012 and consists of 13 new Officers. 7 are members of the of the Frederick Police Department, 2 are from the Thurmont Police Department, 1 is from Gaithersburg Police Department, 2 are from Hagerstown Police Department, and 1 is from the Hagerstown Fire Marshal’s Office.
All of the new Frederick Police Officers will be assigned to the Patrol Division as they complete a 10 week long field training program. They will be assigned to ride with an experienced officer during field training and receive daily evaluations of their performance before being assigned to solo duties.
During the ceremony two Officers received special recognition for their performance during the Academy. Officer Andrew Alger received the Chief’s award for excellence for academic performance, and Officer William Dixon from Thurmont PD received the Chief’s award for outstanding performance during the skills portion f the program.
The student Officers are identified as follows:
Officer Andrew Alger: 23 years-old, Frederick Police Department. Off Alger was born in Frederick and raised in Brunswick MD. He graduated from Hood College in 2011 with a bachelors degree in Law and Science.
Officer Kevin Brashears: 24 years-old, Hagerstown Police Department. Off Brashears was born and raised in Hagerstown Maryland. He earned a bachelors degree from Shenandoah University.
Officer Christopher Chiaravalloti: 26 years-old, Frederick Police Department. Off Chiaravalloti was born and raised in New Jersey before moving to Frederick in high school. He earned an associates degree in Criminal Justice prior to joining the Frederick Police Department.
Officer Michael Cooley: 28 years-old, Thurmont Police Department. Off Cooley was born and raised in Pennsylvania and graduated from high school in 2002. Prior to joining the Thurmont Police Department he was employed as a correctional officer for the State of Maryland.
Deputy Fire Marshal John Crist: 44 years-old, Hagerstown Fire Department. DFM Crist was born and raised in Indiana and a member of the Marine Corps. where he served in the Persian Gulf during operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. He has been a member of the Hagerstown Fire Department since 1994 and upon graduation will assume the duties of Deputy Fire Marshal in Hagerstown.
Officer Larbi Dakkouni: 26 years-old, Gaithersburg Police Department. Off Dakkouni was born in Casablanca, Morocco and moved to Gaithersburg at the age of 16. He has earned a bachelors degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Maryland in 2011 and is fluent in 4 languages.
Officer William Dixon: 29 years-old, Thurmont Police Department. Off Dixon was born and raised in Maine. Prior to joining the Thurmont PD he was a reserve officer with the Fallmouth Police Department in Maine.
Officer Matthew Gourley: 21 years-old, Frederick Police Department. Off Gourley was born in Frederick and raised in Jefferson Md. He graduated from Brunswick High School in 2008 and attended the Frederick County Career and Technology Center specializing in Criminal Justice.
Officer Joshua Harmison: 27 years-old, Frederick Police Department. Off Harmison was born and raised in West Virginia and graduated from Hedgesville High School in 2003. Prior to joining the Frederick PD, he was employed as an emergency dispatch operator by the Berkley County Sheriff’s Office.
Officer Randy Lawson: 27 years-old, Frederick Police Department. Off Lawson was born and raised in Frederick. He is a 2003 graduate of McDaniel College with a degree in Business Administration. He currently serves as 1st Lieutenant in the Army National Guard and recently returned from a deployment in Egypt.
Officer Elizabeth Martin: 21 years-old, Frederick Police Department. Off Martin was born and raised in Gettysburg PA. She earned an associates degree from Harrisburg Area Community College. Prior to joining the Frederick PD, she served as an intern for the Cumberland Township Police Department and was a security officer at Ski Liberty Resort.
Officer Stephen Radtke: 30 years-old, Frederick Police Department. Off Radtke was born in Clinton Md, and raised in Frederick where he graduated from Governor Thomas Johnson High School. Prior to joining the Frederick PD, he was employed as a securities analyst for Wells Fargo.
Officer Stacey Sanders: 22 years-old, Hagerstown Police Department. Off Sanders was born and raised in Oakland Md. She earned a bachelor of arts degree in Political Science from Frostburg State University. Prior to joining the Hagerstown PD, she was a seasonal officer with the Ocean City Police Department in Maryland.
During Friday’s ceremony the Frederick Police Department also presented awards to the Officer, civilian and volunteer of the year for 2011.
The new graduates in the photo are identified below:
Front Row left to right: Off William Dixon, Off Joshua Harmison, Off Elizabeth Martin, Off Stacey Sanders, Off Michael Cooley, Off Christopher Chiaravalloti,
Back Row left to right: Off Kevin Brashears, Off Larbi Dakkouni, Off Stephen Radtke, DFM John Crist, Off Randy Lawson, Off Andrew Alger, Off Mathew Gourley
For additional information please contact Sgt. Gregory Stocksdale at 301-600-1245.