BOONE, N.C. — This fall, 15 new graduates of Appalachian State University’s Appalachian Police Academy, a component of the Appalachian Police Officer Development Program (APDP), join more than 150 police officers trained by APDP to date. The graduates serve as sworn North Carolina police officers, working part time for the Appalachian Police Department (APD).
App State’s eighth annual Appalachian Police Academy graduation ceremony, held in September in Rosen Concert Hall on the Boone campus, included the presentation of awards of distinction, as well as remarks from class speaker Benjamin Inman and two guest speakers — KC Mitchell, retired APD captain and former director of police development and professional standards at App State, and Richard Gilliland, Caldwell County’s director of animal control enforcement, who was chosen by the students.
“We are so very proud of our students’ hard work,” said App State Director of Public Safety and Chief of Police Johnny Brown, who opened the ceremony. “The dedication they show to their training, to our organization and to each other is truly special. We know their successes and their bright futures are just beginning here as we celebrate this important milestone.”
Brown also thanked Chancellor Heather Norris and Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief Operating Officer J.J. Brown for their ongoing support of the program. And he recognized Mitchell and special guest Andy Stephenson, former App State director of public safety and chief of police and APDP founder, for their dedication to App State’s students and professional development for police officers. Stephenson currently serves as public safety training director for safety and emergency operations at the University of North Carolina System Office.
App State Director of Public Safety and Chief of Police Johnny Brown gives remarks at the eighth annual Appalachian Police Academy graduation ceremony, held Sept. 13 in Rosen Concert Hall on the Boone campus. Photo by Troy Tuttle
App State Director of Police Development Cameron Masin ’20, far left in foreground, speaks at the eighth annual Appalachian Police Academy graduation ceremony, held Sept. 13 in Rosen Concert Hall on the Boone campus. The 15 graduates of the academy’s eighth class, along with App State Director of Public Safety and Chief of Police Johnny Brown, are pictured seated onstage. Photo by Troy Tuttle
APDP is a two-year program available to all full-time App State students pursuing any academic major or course of study. The program includes the Appalachian Police Academy, a fully accredited Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) school through which recruits complete the training to become sworn police officers in North Carolina. After completing the academy, graduates work part time with APD as sworn officers until they graduate from App State with their degrees.
When cadets enter the academy in their second year of the program, they become police recruits and complete hundreds of training hours. Following in the steps of their predecessors, this year’s academy class exceeded the state’s BLET standard of 640 hours of training, completing a total of 750 hours between August 2024 and August 2025. Their training included:
- First responder training, in which recruits learn basic life support skills such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), use of automated external defibrillators (AED) and critical first aid skills.
- De-escalation training, in which recruits learn techniques and strategies to defuse potentially dangerous situations.
- Communication skills training, in which recruits develop the skills they will use to help guide, organize, respond to and better understand the needs of others in the community.
Ricky Gilliland, Caldwell County’s director of animal control and enforcement, speaks at the eighth annual Appalachian Police Academy graduation ceremony, held Sept. 13 in Rosen Concert Hall on the Boone campus. Photo by Troy Tuttle
App State students and Appalachian Police Academy graduates Luke Johnson, of Boone, far left, Benjamin Inman, of Clyde, second from left, and Jonathon Miller, of Boone, far right, are pictured with Averie DiBennedetto ’25 outside Rosen Concert Hall on App State’s Boone campus. DiBennedetto graduated from the academy in 2024 and earned her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from App State this spring. Photo by Troy Tuttle
Beginning next spring, academy participants will be required to complete more than 800 hours of training, to align with the state’s new BLET requirements. Participants will journey to Samarcand Training Academy, a North Carolina Department of Public Safety training facility in Jackson Springs, where they will complete BLET over the course of the spring 2026 semester, from January through June.
App State Director of Police Development Cameron Masin ’20, an App State alumnus and 2019 graduate of APDP's Police Academy, presented each graduate with their certificate of completion.
“You’ve been tested in the classroom and on the training grounds, and in those moments when you may have wondered if you had what it took to become a police officer, each of you stood tall,” said Masin in his address to the graduates. “You’re still standing today — but as officers ready to serve and respond to a calling. The badge you now wear is not only a symbol but a promise to serve with fairness, to protect others and to lead by example.”
App State Director of Police Development Cameron Masin ’20, left in foreground, presents Kevin Knight, a senior criminal justice major from Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, right in foreground, with his certificate of completion from the Appalachian Police Academy, a component of the university’s Appalachian Police Officer Development Program. Pictured in the background is Ricky Gilliland, Caldwell County’s director of animal control and enforcement, who served as a guest speaker at the eighth annual Appalachian Police Academy graduation ceremony, held Sept. 13 in Rosen Concert Hall on the Boone campus. Photo by Troy Tuttle
App State junior Benjamin Inman, a criminal justice major from Clyde, delivers remarks as the class speaker for the university’s eighth annual Appalachian Police Academy graduation ceremony, held Sept. 13 in Rosen Concert Hall on the Boone campus. Photo by Troy Tuttle
Appalachian Police Academy graduate Christopher Rhodie, a senior psychology major from Fayetteville, second from right, celebrates with his family outside Rosen Concert Hall on App State’s Boone campus. Pictured with Rhodie, from left to right, are Daniel Rhodie, Sonia Rhodie, Christopher Rhodie and Chris Rhodie. Photo by Troy Tuttle
Retired Appalachian Police Department Capt. and former Director of Police Development KC Mitchell speaks at the eighth annual Appalachian Police Academy graduation ceremony, held Sept. 13 in Rosen Concert Hall on the Boone campus. Photo by Troy Tuttle
Appalachian Police Academy graduates celebrate outside Rosen Concert Hall on App State’s Boone campus, following their academy graduation ceremony, held Sept. 13. Pictured, from left to right, are Isabelle McLaughlin, of Wilmington, Kylie Blackmon, of Linden, and Ariel Vine, of Holly Springs. Photo by Troy Tuttle
App State senior Sarah Smith, a criminal justice major from Denver, center, celebrates her Appalachian Police Academy graduation with her family outside Rosen Concert Hall on App State’s Boone campus. Pictured with Smith, from left to right, are Sophia Schwab, Jill Schwab, Laura Smith, Anderson Hester, Tom Smith, Lindsay Campbell and Sara Cramer. The academy graduation ceremony was held Sept. 13. Photo by Troy Tuttle
Appalachian Police Academy graduate Brantley Hales, of Asheville, left, displays his certificate of completion from the academy while posing with his sister, Emily Hales, for a photo outside Rosen Concert Hall on App State’s Boone campus. The university’s eighth annual Appalachian Police Academy graduation ceremony was held Sept. 13. Photo by Troy Tuttle
Third from left, Appalachian Police Academy graduate Marcelo Ricarte, of Charlotte, celebrates his academy graduation with his family outside Rosen Concert Hall on App State’s Boone Campus. Pictured with Ricarte, from left to right, are Maria Walker, Milton Ricarte, Jacob Walker, Noah Walker, Monica Ricarte, Chris Walker and Isabella Ricarte. Photo by Troy Tuttle
Appalachian Police Academy graduate and class speaker Benjamin Inman, fourth from right, gathers with his family outside Rosen Concert Hall on App State’s Boone campus following the university’s eighth annual Appalachian Police Academy graduation ceremony, held Sept. 13. Pictured with Inman, from left to right, are Allie Inman, Don Inman, Anita Inman, Jean Massey, Deputy Raymond Inman, who serves at the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office, Terri Inman, Phillip Potter and Loretta Potter. Photo by Troy Tuttle
Mitchell shared remarks about the lasting impacts of a career in policing and the officers who answer the calling.
“Our students will have a long career, one where they will see a lot of difficult things, but their work in the community is so rewarding,” Mitchell said. “It is the legacy of this program — and our students at App State and the difference they will all make in this state and in this country — that I am most proud of.”
In his address to his peers, Inman, a junior criminal justice major from Clyde, reflected on lessons learned during the summer’s training and thanked instructors for their mentorship and ongoing support.
“Thank you for not going easy on us and for pushing us harder, every day,” said Inman. “You taught us how to survive in real-life situations, how to make decisions under pressure, how to think through and resolve problems and listen — how to be good cops.”
Gilliland commended the graduates for their diligence and perseverance in the intensive BLET school and encouraged them to be lifelong learners as they advance into their future law enforcement careers.
“Each of you will be called to act in moments of crisis, to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves and to stand for those who cannot stand up for themselves. Remain teachable, humble and hungry for this work that you will do.”
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Pictured in App State’s Rosen Concert Hall, from left to right: App State Director of Public Safety and Chief of Police Johnny Brown, with App State student veteran David Caldwell and his parents, Koreen and Dennis Caldwell, after the Appalachian Police Academy’s eighth annual graduation ceremony, held Sept. 13. At the ceremony, Caldwell, a U.S. Army veteran and risk management and insurance major from Boone, was honored with the Appalachian Police Department’s inaugural Civilian Lifesaving Award. Photo submitted
Cameron Masin ’20, director of police development in the Appalachian State University Police Department. Photo by Chase Reynolds
The recruits are the 7th class to complete the academy as part of App State’s Police Officer Development Program
About the App State Police Department
Appalachian State University’s official policing agency — the App State Police Department — supports the university’s academic mission by working in partnership with the campus community to prevent crime, solve problems and improve the quality of life on campus. The department’s philosophy is one of proactive community engagement, collaboration and customer service, holding the safety and health of App State’s community members as its top priorities. State-certified police officers, security officers and civilian employees compose the department, and this team of professionals helps to create and maintain an inclusive sense of belonging for all members of the App State Community — students, faculty, staff and visitors. Additionally, through its efforts, the department aims to be a leader in innovative public safety ideas and strategies. Learn more at https://police.appstate.edu.
About the Appalachian Police Officer Development Program
The two-year Appalachian Police Officer Development Program (APDP) at Appalachian State University — the second of its kind in the nation and the only such program in North Carolina — equips students with the knowledge, skills and training to become certified law enforcement officers in North Carolina, while simultaneously earning their undergraduate or graduate degrees. Students become cadets in their first year of the program and have the opportunity to complete the Appalachian State University Police Academy during their second year to become sworn North Carolina police officers. The program is open to all full-time students, regardless of major, and students receive an hourly wage for the part-time work and training they complete with the Appalachian Police Department (APD). Learn more at https://police.appstate.edu/apdp.
About Appalachian State University
As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, cost-effective education. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.
Pictured in App State’s Rosen Concert Hall, from left to right: App State Director of Public Safety and Chief of Police Johnny Brown, with App State student veteran David Caldwell and his parents, Koreen and Dennis Caldwell, after the Appalachian Police Academy’s eighth annual graduation ceremony, held Sept. 13. At the ceremony, Caldwell, a U.S. Army veteran and risk management and insurance major from Boone, was honored with the Appalachian Police Department’s inaugural Civilian Lifesaving Award. Photo submitted
Cameron Masin ’20, director of police development in the Appalachian State University Police Department. Photo by Chase Reynolds
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