The Warren County Sheriff’s Office added two new deputies to its roster in March.

Hamp C. Lyons Sr. and Kyle Davidson graduated from the Law Enforcement Training Academy at Mississippi Delta Community College in Moorhead to become deputies in Warren County.

“Whenever you get hired on as a deputy, to be a certified law enforcement officer, you have to go to the academy,” Davidson said.

The academy was a three-month training session that began Jan. 17 and graduation was held March 25. The six-day a week training gave attendees only Saturdays off for the duration of the 10-week academy, Davidson said, with weeks starting Sunday mornings and ending Friday nights. Days began at 4 a.m. and went until 10 p.m., Davidson said.

“Every day is a training day,” Lyons said.

Lyons said all who want to become deputies or policemen have to go through the academy. He said they learn how to survive in a law enforcement position.

“We train to deal with different situations out on the street basically for our safety,” Lyons said.

One lesson that stuck with him was to never become complacent or lazy with doing the same tasks repeatedly. He said troubles could ensue when the deputy doesn’t pay attention to their surroundings.

“You can’t be complacent,” Lyons said.

“That’s when you have problems,” Lyons said.

Lyons was a jailer for six years, and before that he was in the Navy for 12 years. After his experience working in the jail, he decided to see what it was like to work in law enforcement but also be out in the community and serving as a positive role model for children.

“Some folks have an idea that all cops are just bad, but they’re not,” Lyons said.

Davidson went straight from school into the academy because he wanted to follow in the footsteps of influential family members in the law enforcement profession.

“Family members that I’ve looked up to in the past that were in law enforcement,” Davidson said were the reason he chose to become a deputy.

He said he learned a lot in his training including situations he will encounter on the job, how to protect himself and others and how to be proactive.

“Too much to be able to tell you in one sentence,” Davidson said.

Mississippi Delta Community College public relations director Jamie M. Scrivener said in a press release the academy held at the school is a Class I State Academy and is accredited through the Mississippi Board on Law Enforcement Officer’s Standards and Training to offer instruction to any level officer in the state.

“The academy provides beginner training in Basic Law Enforcement curriculum, advanced training, refresher courses and in-service training,” Scrivener said.