By Jennifer Gomori, POJ Editor
Oakland Community College Police Academy graduate Justin Bishop left a lasting impression on his instructors, who chose to honor him with the Richard R. Weiler Scholarship Award.
Bishop graduated on May 23, 2024 in a class of 67 cadets. He was selected from 13 non-sponsored cadets for the $500 award.
The Richard R. Weiler Scholarship Award, sponsored by the POLC, is awarded twice yearly at the discretion of the college police academy to graduates who have not been sponsored by any police agency. Qualifying cadets must pass the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards (MCOLES) certification test and meet MCOLES employment standards to become certified Michigan Law Enforcement Officers.
Due to his strong overall performance, he graduated with a 93.54 percentile. “Justin received the award as he always maintained a high level of professionalism and was an extremely dedicated student,” said Oakland Police Academy Director David Ceci. “His performance over all areas of the academy – from academics to the hands-on work – was of the highest level. He definitely stood out while at the academy.”
“The academy definitely prepared me well,” Bishop said. “Having the CREST facility at Oakland was a huge benefit to the students. We were able to do building searches, role-playing, calls in progress … some real world scenarios.”
Bishop earned his bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Ferris State University and was hired by Lapeer County Sheriff’s Office in July. The 26-year-old was influenced to become a police officer by his dad, a retired St. Clair City Police Officer.
“When I was trying to decide what to do out of high school, I did a ride along with my dad and got to see what a police officer does,” he said. “I knew that’s what I wanted to do and started to work toward my degree.”
He was very thankful for the Weiler Award. “(The Weiler Award) meant a lot! Going to the academy, you can’t work, so the money helped out with gas prices going up and paying for the schooling,” Bishop said. “It helped me out with graduation, the academy, and being able to self-sponsor.”
