The Bristol County Sheriff’s Office welcomed its 17 newest corrections officers at academy graduation on August 29.

The ceremony, held at Greater New Bedford Voc-Tech, honored the latest round of graduates. All 17 of those who attended the first day of Corrections Officer Academy on July 9 passed through the program and graduated.

"We are a team and a family," Academy class president Jared Neville told the crowd at the graduation ceremony. "We will have each other's backs every day."

The eight-week academy included lessons on everything from defensive tactics to first aid and policy and procedure, and further developed officers’ communications and teamwork skills.

Bristol County Sheriff Thomas M. Hodgson spoke about how far society has come, and how much law enforcement -- and the duties of corrections officers -- has changed, since the Ash Street Jail was constructed in 1888 in New Bedford. He noted instead of those accused of public drunkenness or carrying unpaid debts, more than 80 percent of the sheriff’s office’s inmates are being held for drug or drug-related offenses.

The 17 new corrections officers are Nicholas Almeida, Jacob Biello, Kyle Dow, William Dowd, Michael Furtado, Derek Jerome, John Lobo, Jared Neville, Edmund O'Connell III, Josue Ostolaza, Jessica Paquette, Paul Pimental III, Cory Pires, Alexis Plante, Victoria Rodriguez, Manuel Sequeira and Robert Welch. Paquette earned the title of Valedictorian with a 97.07 scoring average.

The Class of 2018 earned a guidon, a special marker used throughout history in the military and law enforcement to signify unit designation for the class's teamwork and togetherness. Not every graduating class receives this honor.

The next Corrections Officer Academy is set to begin in January. For information and an application, visit bcso-ma.us/employment