Two Harford County Sheriff’s Deputies Recognized as Instructors of the Year by Statewide Training Commission

From the Harford County Sheriff’s Office:

[November 6, 2013, Bel Air, MD] — Two Harford County Sheriff’s deputies have been recognized as Instructors of the Year by the Maryland Police and Correctional Services Training Commission (MPCTC). Deputy First Class Craig Blessing of the Police Services Bureau and Corporal Jonathan Jenkins of the Correctional Services Bureau were recently honored for their contributions to Police and Corrections training.

Cpl. Johnathan Jenkins is a dedicated instructor for the Harford County Sheriff’s Office Training Academy instructing several disciplines to both recruit trainees and veteran personnel. Nominated by academy staff, he was described as a professional instructor with a positive demeanor and committed to his students. Cpl. Jenkins recognizes one of the keys to professional development as a Corrections Officer is training and working closely with students to understand the many facets of corrections and dealing with a varied inmate population. Cpl. Jenkins strives to meet that goal and provide valuable insight and education to his students.

DFC Craig Blessing was honored for his work with the MPCTC on the development of the Law Enforcement Emergency Medical Care Course (LEEMCC) program. Academy staff explained, DFC Blessing was asked by MPCTC to participate as a Committee member helping to design this law enforcement specific EMS curriculum. While there are other emergency care curriculums available to police statewide – this material was focused on law enforcement specific scenarios such as treating an injured police officer while under fire. DFC Blessing piloted this program at the Sheriff’s Office and it is now part of the Sheriff’s Office agency’s training curriculum.

Sheriff L. Jesse Bane offered congratulations to both deputies on their recognition saying, “Qualified and talented instructors are essential components to any successful training program. We are indeed fortunate to have two such individuals who not only lend their expertise to local law enforcement and corrections but have now been recognized statewide for their expertise and contributions to law enforcement and corrections training”.

Both deputies were presented with their awards by Charles Rapp, Executive Director of the Maryland Police and Correctional Training Commission.