Sheriff calls for SBI involvement in investigation into Blue Ridge Community College BLET course

HENDERSON COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) — New information has been released as part of the ongoing investigation into the currently suspended Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) program at Blue Ridge Community College.

The Henderson County Sheriff’s Office sent a letter to the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) on May 9, 2024. This was after “administrative investigations uncovered conduct that may have been criminal in nature,” officials said.

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In the letter, Sheriff Lowell Griffin officially asked the SBI for assistance in the investigation surrounding the fall 2023 BLET classes.

The Henderson County Sheriff’s Office and the North Carolina Commission on Criminal Justice and Training Standards have opened an administrative investigation. The Commission on Criminal Justice and Training Standards’ investigation is ongoing. Civil trials for six instructors are scheduled for mid-August.

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Sheriff Griffin said his office is ready and able to assist the SBI in the investigation.

In an email to News 13, Sheriff Griffin stated that he believes the likelihood that the instructors’ actions were criminal is low, but he asked the SBI to investigate in the interest of transparency.

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In fall 2023, Blue Ridge Community College officials launched an internal investigation after being made aware of “conditions in the BLET (Basic Law Enforcement Training) course that did not meet the standards we strive to maintain. Because student safety and success are our top priority, the college responded immediately, suspended the course, and launched an internal investigation,” Blue Ridge Community College officials said in a statement to News 13 on Wednesday, May 22.

The college contacted the North Carolina Criminal Justice Education and Training Standards Division, the accrediting body for the BLET course, and the agency also launched an investigation to support the college’s internal review.