COLUMBUS – The son of a fallen officer and a recruit who has now graduated twice were among 47 members of the 127th recruit class from the Columbus police training academy Friday.
GRADUATION OF THE COLUMBUS DIVISION OF POLICE 127TH RECRUIT CLASS: All are welcome 2 attend! When: 7/7@10am 1000 N Hague Ave. Who: 47 grads! pic.twitter.com/8FJPXfyNiR
— Columbus Division of Police (@ColumbusPolice) July 6, 2017
This article has been corrected to show that the graduation ceremony was on Friday, instead of Thursday.
The 31 Columbus officers, along with 14 from Dublin, Hilliard, Grove City, Upper Arlington, Gahanna and Westerville graduated from the James G. Jackson Columbus Police Academy.
Two Columbus Division of Fire arson investigators also graduated and, for the first time a recruit class included Ohio State University and Delaware officers.
Among them was Jessie Smith, son of fallen SWAT Officer Steve Smith, who received his father’s badge.
This was the second graduation for Gilbert Leffler, who first left the academy with the 78th class in 1991 and retired in 2003.
Three weeks shy of his 53rd birthday, Leffler has rejoined the force. He holds the recruit record for the most consecutive pushups with 781, established while he was in the Class of ’91.
The training period at the academy is 29 weeks long, during which time the recruits learn the core values of the Division of Police, state laws and local ordinances and various skills and tactics they will use in the field.