Patti Dozier
THOMASVILLE — Getting to the FBI Academy is no easy trek. For a Thomasville police officer, it meant reaching another goal before reaching for the Academy goal.
Lt. Lavone Shiver, a 19-year Thomasville Police Department officer, knew he had to lose weight before the Academy would consider him. At 280 pounds, he had to reach an Academy requirement of having less than 24 percent total body fat.
Shiver had to lose 65 pounds to become eligible for the Academy at Quantico, Va. Exercise and eating the right food brought him down to 215 pounds.
Shiver, 44, is one of eight TPD officers to graduate from the Academy. Less than 1 percent of law enforcement officers attend the Academy.
Other factors for eligibility include being a supervisor at the rank of lieutenant or above and being recommended by the chief of police.
“You have to exceed performance expectations and meet goals,” Troy Rich, assistant chief, explained.
Also an Academy graduate, Rich said the experience is one of the greatest of his life.
Of the 19 TPD officers who have graduated from the FBI Academy, eight are current command staff members.
Officers attending the Academy share a rare camaraderie. They share experiences and challenges with fellow commanding officers.
Lawmen attending the academy quickly learn that no matter how big or small their departments, they all face the same problems.
Thefts, burglaries and drugs are among law enforcement agencies’ biggest problems. “Drugs lead to thefts and burglaries,” Shiver said.
Retaining employees is another problem among law enforcement agencies.
Shiver described the 10-week Academy course as being like a semester of college. Labor law and legal issues were among the subjects he studied. He will receive college credits at the University of Virginia for the course.
Shiver, who has an associate degree in criminal justice, is working toward a bachelor’s at Thomas University.
His roommate at the FBI Academy was from Montenegro, a country in Southeastern Europe on the Adriatic Sea.
Other officers ran the gamut from a Los Angeles police supervisor to a police chief from a small town in Maine with two officers. Other officers were from Brazil, Guam and Hawaii, among other places throughout the world.
Shiver worked hard to get to the Academy. Even more effort was required to complete the Academy course — and to receive the coveted yellow brick.
In addition to academics, physical fitness and accomplishing physical challenges were part of training for the 236th Academy session.
Running a 6.1-mile course fraught with obstacles resulted in Shiver receiving his yellow brick. Of the 256 officers to begin the course, 255 received yellow bricks. The 10 officers who did not finish the course were removed from the session for violating rules.
In addition to academics and physical fitness, networking is an important aspect of the course, Rich explained. Officers who meet at the academy establish lifelong friendships.
Shiver considers his leadership skills improved as a result of the FBI course. He wants officers on his team to offer constructive ideas in order to foster pride and determination.
As Shiver was returning home from Quantico, he stopped at a convenience store in North Carolina. He was wearing the Academy uniform — trousers and a shirt with the Academy emblem.
A customer at the business acknowledged Shiver and the Academy emblem. The customer was the town’s retired police chief and a member of the 118th FBI Academy session.
Shiver’s mission? For him and his seven-member team to exceed the community’s expectations daily.
“Every day they improve,” he explained. “When they come to work, they improve the quality of life for the community through innovative ideas.”
Senior reporter Patti Dozier can be reached a (229) 226-2400, ext. 220.
