Valencia staff, students, and invited guests will dedicate a Law Enforcement Memorial at the Criminal Justice Institute (CJI) on Wednesday, August 18. The memorial was built and donated by Basic Law Enforcement Class 2010-01 after an exhaustive fund raiser.
Many public safety buildings and complexes around this country have installed law enforcement memorials. This memorial will honor the men and women in criminal justice that have made the ultimate sacrifice and serve as a daily reminder that many officers may have lost their lives in the line of duty, but they will never be forgotten.
Valencia’s memorial will be dedicated in honor of two officers who died recently on July 21. Although Officer Carl Smith from the Orlando Police Department and Deputy Craig Heber from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office died of natural causes, this ceremony serves as a reminder of their loyal and faithful service in law enforcement. Members from both families will attend this event to officially dedicate the memorial.
The ceremony will start in the CJI auditorium at 6 p.m. and will end at the unveiling of the stone monument just outside the auditorium entrance at 6:30 p.m. Numerous representatives from the local criminal justice community are expected to attend.
The mission of the Criminal Justice Institute (CJI) at Valencia Community College is to prepare criminal justice officers to protect and serve. The institute offers a world-class learning environment in its 77,000 square foot, state-of-the-art training facility.
The institute is certified by the Florida Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission to deliver all Commission-approved curricula to law enforcement, correctional, and correctional probation officers in Florida. With primary responsibility for the criminal justice agencies in Orange County, the CJI is a regional training center that serves over 45 organizations; including state law enforcement agencies, Department of Corrections, Department of Juvenile Justice, numerous county, municipal, regional and international agencies.
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