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Macomb Academy LEEP Award winner
hired as Royal Oak Police Of cer
— By Jennifer Gomori, POJ Editor
it didn’t take Macomb Police Academy graduate Trevor Holston long to nd a job. He walked into the Dec. 17th academy gradu- ation ceremony in uniform as a newly hired Royal Oak Police Of cer.
Holston was one of 23 pre-service cadets, who paid for his own police academy training, out of 42 graduates. He was thankful the Law Enforcement Education Program (LEEP) helped him recoup a good portion of his costs when he received a $2,000 LEEP Award at graduation. “It’s helped me out a lot – tremendously,” Holston said, thanking LEEP for choosing him for the award. Like most cadets, he did not have the time or energy to work while attending rigorous academy training.
“He came in pre-service and he was the rst to land a job. He’s just been ecstatic,” said Macomb Police Academy Director Raymund Macksoud days before graduation. “He’ll start right away on the road there. He passed his licensing exam here yesterday.”
The 23-year-old made quite an impression with the academy staff, cadets, and with Royal Oak PD, being hired three weeks before completing the academy. “He carries himself well. He has a mature, positive attitude and he is a leader,” Macksoud said. “He’s always the rst in line to drill, raise his hand and volunteer for things.”
The staff could trust him to get the job done and cadets and staff liked his demeanor. “He was very accommodating and needed little supervision,” Macksoud said. “He was well-liked by the class.”
“When Royal Oak said they were looking into him, I told the back-
ground investigator that they were recruiting one of the top two pre-service candidates, and rmly believe he would have been in their top three picks,” Macksoud said, adding that’s why he was hired before graduation.
Holston seems to be following in a lot of family footsteps. His great grandfather, John Maki, and great uncle, Ray Ellero, were both Warren Police Of cers. His father, Donald Holston, was a Military Police Of cer in the Army and his uncle, John Kanakry, works for the federal government in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Holston said.
The Siena Heights University graduate has a bachelors’ degree in Criminal Justice. He completed an internship at Roseville Police De- partment as part of his education, gaining experience with road patrol, the detective bureau and in the courtroom. He was a college and high school athlete, playing college basketball.
Macksoud said his tall, athletic build coupled with strong com- munication skills gives Holston strong presence as a leader. “When he speaks, he’s very positive. He’s not unsure at all,” Macksoud said. “He was a cadet that didn’t need much prodding for anything. He didn’t need repeat instructions. He physically performed well and has done well academically.”
Royal Oak PD peaked Holston’s interest while they were recruiting new of cers at the academy. He decided to research the commu- nity a little more on his own. “As I was starting to nd out more about the City and (the department), I liked it more and more,” Holston said.
Holston said, he’s interested in working his way up to the Detec- tive Bureau if possible. Right now, the new Royal Oak Police Of cer said, he’s very excited to begin police work and see where it takes him. “I hopefully will have a great career in law enforcement,” he said. d
LEEP AWARDS QuALiFiCAtiONS
The LEEP Award is presented twice yearly to gradu- ates with the highest overall achievement who have not been sponsored by any police agency. To qualify, cadets had to pass the MCOLES certi cation test and meet MCOLES employment standards to become certi able as law enforcement of cers in Michigan.
The Police Of cers Journal
Photo courtesy of Macomb Police Academy
Macomb College Police Chief James Matheney (left) presents Police Academy graduate Trevor Holston with a LEEP Award at graduation Dec. 17.
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