Atlanta Public Schools (APS) School Resource Officer Kina Lang reached an historic milestone after recently becoming the APS Police Department’s first law enforcement academy graduate.
As the first APS resource officer to complete certification through the North Central Georgia Law Enforcement Academy, Lang spent 10 weeks participating in rigorous training with 21 other police cadets from across metro Atlanta. As part of the Basic Law Enforcement Training Course, she engaged in various scenarios, which included defensive tactics, driving manuevers, answering dispatch calls, clearing buildings, responding to sick persons, and other officer-involved situations.
The commencement was held on Friday, Dec. 13.
“It feels amazing,” said Lang, a former Atlanta parole and probation officer who holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Jackson State University. “This is something that I’ve always wanted to do since I was in high school. So, when the opportunity became available, and I learned APS was going to send me to the Academy, I jumped on it. I was prepared academically, physically, mentally, and emotionally. It was great.”
Recruiting more officers is part of Superintendent Dr. Bryan Johnson’s plan to hire 45 additional school resource officers who will be stationed at every elementary school in the district.
According to APS Police Chief Ronald Applin, Lang’s achievement serves as an excellent opportunity to boost recruitment by attracting more qualified candidates to help fill vacancies for other school resource officers.
In the past, Applin said the department sought officers who were already certified. However, providing candidates with the opportunity to attend and graduate from the law enforcement academy not only helps boost recruitment efforts, but it also prepares them to work in the district as school resource officers.
“This is exciting, and it’s definitely another path to get officers on board,” Applin said. “We’ve been in existence as a department since in 2016, and this is the first time we’ve ventured out to this point. I’m excited to see how we progress from here, and I’m looking forward to sending a few more folks to the academy.”
Now that Lang is an APS resource officer, she can’t wait to report to duty and start her newfound career. She sees it as an incredible opportunity to make an impact in students’ lives, especially girls.
“I want to mentor girls who need help and don’t have a lot of confidence,” Lang said. “They will know that I understand what it’s like to feel lonely and insecure. And, the most impact that I want to make is to let them know that I’m 54, and I don’t have any shame with my age. If I can do this at age 54 and set in my mind that I can accomplish a goal, so can they. They don’t have to settle. That’s the impact that I want to have on girls. I want them to know that they can do anything they put their minds to.”