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Montgomery Police Academy awards badges to 28 recruits from 12 agencies; Prattville officer wins top honors
Summary
Montgomery Police Academy graduated 28 recruits representing a dozen agencies at a ceremony in Montgomery City. Officer Griffin Hyatt of the Prattville Police Department received the marksmanship, academic and Marvin Stanley awards.
Montgomery Police Academy presented badges to 28 graduates representing 12 law‑enforcement agencies at a ceremony held at Church of the Highlands in Montgomery City; the date was not specified in the remarks.
Speakers from the Montgomery Police Department, Maxwell Air Force Base and the City of Montgomery praised the class for completing the academy’s mandated training. Mayor Steven Reed told the graduates the badge is “not just a shield… it’s a daily promise to serve, to protect, and to uphold the values that bind our community together.” Colonel Shamekia Tolliver of Maxwell Air Force Base urged recruits to combine training with “compassion and empathy” in every interaction.
The graduation recognized a multi‑agency class that trainers said completed classroom and practical training designed under the Alabama Peace Officers Standards and Training Commission. Academy instructors and staff named the program length variously in remarks; speakers referenced roughly 12–15 weeks of academy instruction and a total of about 560 hours of mandated training. Ages among the recruits ranged from about 20 to 47, according to remarks by the guest speaker.
Chief James N. Grayboys of the Montgomery Police Department (as identified in the remarks) and Major Milliner opened the ceremony by thanking partner agencies and families for their support. The academy noted trainees came from the Montgomery Police Department, Montgomery Fire and Rescue, Argo Police Department, Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office, Prattville Police Department, UAB Police and Public Safety, Fairfield Police Department, Tallahassee Police Department, Jackson Police Department, Alabama Department of Corrections, Eclectic Police Department and the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office.
Officer Griffin Hyatt of the Prattville Police Department received the ceremony’s three top honors: the Marksmanship Award (98.67 firearms average), the Academic Award (97.67 academic average) and the Marvin Stanley Award for overall achievement (98.28 overall average), the academy announced. Class presidents Hakeem McBride (Montgomery Police Department) and Nicholas Sheffo (UAB Police and Public Safety) delivered the student addresses; Corporal Daniel Deberry served as class coordinator and closed the program.
The ceremony included remarks emphasizing professional standards and community service. Mayor Reed quoted scripture and urged graduates to “speak up and judge fairly,” and Colonel Tolliver, commander of the 42nd Air Base Wing, Maxwell Air Force Base and Gunter Annex, spoke of resilience and the “sacred trust” of the badge: “Trust your instincts and never forget the importance of the compassion and empathy that you have in every interaction.”
The academy presented Alabama Peace Officers Standards and Training Commission certificates and closed with a benediction and the recitation of the law enforcement code of ethics. No formal votes, directives, contracts or follow‑up actions were announced during the ceremony.
A full roll call of graduates and their agency affiliations was read onstage; trainers noted some trainees who began the course did not complete it. The ceremony organizers thanked Church of the Highlands for hosting and acknowledged family members and guests in attendance.
