By Jennifer Gomori, POJ Editor
By the time Ann Demaray graduated from Law Enforcement Regional Training Center (LERTA), she had a law enforcement position lined up and extra funding from the Collin Birnie Scholarship Award.
Demaray was among four non-agency sponsored cadets in the Mott Community College police academy graduating class of 26 cadets on Dec. 21, 2023. She was awarded the $500 Collin Birnie Award for achieving the highest
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Photo courtesy of LERTA
Flint Deputy Police Chief Jeff Antcliff presented Ann Demaray with the Collin Birnie Scholarship Award. |
score for pre-service cadets, graduating with a 95.18 percentile.
“I’m very honored. I did not realize that was something that was in the running or something I would even be eligible for,” she said. “Going through the academy as pre-service kind of puts you on the spot, because you don’t have a job going into it. I am appreciative my efforts were recognized.”
The Collin Birnie Scholarship Award, which is sponsored by the POLC, is presented twice annually at the academy’s discretion to graduating cadets who have not been sponsored by any police agency. To qualify, cadets must pass the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement (MCOLES) certification test and meet MCOLES employment standards for certified Michigan Law Enforcement Officers.
A former nurse assistant, Demaray began her law enforcement career as a White Lake Township Police Officer on Dec. 26.
“I’ve always wanted to help people physically. I went into the healthcare path as a certified nurse assistant,” she said. “I thought I would go into medical and follow in my mom’s footsteps, she’s a doctor. I did that for 3 years. It’s not the path I wanted to take.”
The 22-year-old’s mother, Dr. Janice Demaray, worked most of her career as an emergency room physician in Shelby Township and is currently practicing at Beaumont Urgent Care.
Ann Demaray received her associate’s degree in Criminal Justice at St. Clair County Community College and graduated in May 2023 with a Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice from Ferris State University.
She credits LERTA for providing a supportive environment to help her achieve her goals. “The way our academy was run, every day the leadership roles changed,” she said. “I was the Class Leader three or four times.”
“I’m just very thankful I won the (Birnie) Award and I couldn’t have done it without my classmates or the staff,” Demaray said. “(Academy Director) Lt. (David) Livingston and Sgt. (Dunell) Chaney were amazing. I’m very thankful to have had them in my path helping me along the way.”