DCS Welcomes Eight New Community Supervision Officers

(ATLANTA) – The Georgia Department of Community Supervision (DCS) graduated its 48th Basic Community Supervision Officer Training (BCSOT) class on Thursday, March 16th, at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center (GPSTC) in Forsyth, Georgia. These graduates are now certified as Community Supervision Officers by the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council (P.O.S.T.).

BCSOT Cadets spend eight weeks at the academy and will report to their assigned offices to serve. At the completion of BCSOT, these newly graduated officers received 320 hours of training, including supervision techniques, investigation procedures, intervention strategies, Georgia law, policy and procedure, interview skills, physical fitness, arrest procedures, defensive tactics, computer interaction, enhanced supervision procedures, and firearms qualification.

DCS External Affairs Director Shanta Porter served as the keynote speaker. “Today is a great day for our team and it’s an honor to celebrate this milestone with you. This work is important and is changing lives and communities every day,” said Porter. “You are joining an agency that is grounded in research and makes decisions based on best and next practices. DCS embraces change and we all have a responsibility to be change agents. Not just for our supervisees, but for the communities we serve, live, and raise our families in.”

“These officers have demonstrated a tremendous level of commitment, teamwork, and perseverance during their eight weeks of training and we are honored to have them join our team,” said Lori A. Massengale, Director of Training and Professional Development. “We are proud of their individual, as well as their collective accomplishments, and we look forward with great anticipation to the positive contributions they will make to the Department and to communities across Georgia.”

During remarks to his fellow class members, Officer Sage Finch, Class President, reflected on their journey through BCSOT. “All of us brought something special to the table that made us the strong team and family that we are today. We encouraged each other to finish strong, and, as brothers and sisters, we always had each other's backs.”

Finch continued: “To our instructors: Thank you for bringing out the best in us over the past eight weeks and ensuring we know how to do our jobs effectively and efficiently, and to the best of our ability. We have been given all of the necessary tools to be successful in our careers as CSOs.”

“These badges were earned, not given. Each of you are leaders, and I know you will make an immediate impact the moment you step into your role as Officers,” concluded Finch.

Several of the graduates received special honors for top performance in various proficiencies. The honorees were:

• Firearms “Top Shot” – Evan Nabors
• Dallas Office Leadership – Sage Finch
• Americus Office Team Competition - Sage Finch (Americus),
• Jerry Fann, Jr (Statesboro)
• Evan Nabors (Dallas) PT - Sage Finch (Americus)
• Adjunct Instructor - Cindy Coltek (Paulding)

The new officers will serve their communities in DCS Field Offices as follows:

• Frederick Moore - Claxton Jerry Fann, Jr - Statesboro
• Sage Finch - Americus
• Charlette Mayfield - McDonough
• Steven Davis - Morrow
• Evan Nabors - Dalla
• Kaleigh Briselden - Lafayette
• Brady Anderson - Lafayette
• Latanja Clark - Athens

About The Georgia Department of Community Supervision:

As an integral part of the criminal justice system, we protect and serve the state of Georgia through effective and efficient community supervision while providing opportunities for successful outcomes. For more information, visit dcs.georgia.gov.