Session 47

Today was one of the greatest and most rewarding days I've had in quite some time. No, I didn't win the lottery, get married, or buy a house. This afternoon, I had the priveledge to see Session 47 graduate from the Montgomery County Police Academy.

It was incredible for me to sit in the audience and watch as 46 of my former classmates received their graduation certificates. Those men and women are no longer ordinary private citizens. Today, they are police officers, sheriff's deputies, and fire marshals.

A few days after I resigned from the academy on Dec. 1, I knew I wanted to attend the graduation ceremony. I had spent nearly 20 weeks with these fine men and women and we saw each other at our best and worst moments. Words cannot describe how proud I am of all them right now.

The class speaker, Officer Kenneth Davis, highlighted some of the moments from the academy. He touched on the first day (eight hours of hell!), getting hit with OC spray, feeling the shock of the taser, and some lighter moments. It was incredible. I found myself flashing back to the time I spent at the academy and thought about everything I had done. Part of me wished I could have been up on stage with those 46 individuals, but I knew I made the right decision in leaving.

After the ceremony was over, I mingled around the stage area and said hello to my ex-classmates. Sadly, I wasn't able to personally say hello to everyone because of the large crowd in the auditorium. But I spoke to a number of session 47 members and expressed my gratitude toward them and congratulated them on one hell of a job.

Officer John Chucoski handed me a session 47 t-shirt that the class made for everyone, which was amazing. And a few weeks ago, Fire Marshall O'Neal Johnson indicated that he was including my name on the class plaque (with an asterisk). That meant more to me than anything.

The law enforcement community is one large family. The 46 new recruits are all part of session 47, but the police family extends outward. Although I am no longer part of this family directly, I still feel like I am out on its outer branches.

If anyone from session 47 reads this, I again want to say congratulations. You guys are going to be fantastic at your new profession and I wish all of you the best. Please stay safe, be careful, but take pride in what you do. The badge you now wear brings a whole new set of challenges and expectations, but I am confident you will all exceed them.

As a resident of Montgomery County, I couldn't think of 46 better people to protect me.

-Jason