Sworn to serve: Mychal Moore is a graduate of the Central Piedmont BLET program

Inspired by his uncle's 20-year career in law enforcement, Officer Mychal Moore of the Cornelius Police Department knew he wanted to serve his community.

Now Mychal is carrying on that family tradition, having completed the Basic Law Enforcement (BLET) Training program at Central Piedmont Community College to advance his career and make a difference in the community.

“As an officer, if you can just touch one person's life, whether it be a kid or adult, and have a positive impact, I think that's the most rewarding thing that you can do,” he said.

Originally from Greensboro, Mychal moved to the Charlotte area in 2011 to be closer to his mom’s side of the family. He started his law enforcement career in 2016 as a detention officer working in the jail at the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office, a position he held for five and a half years. 

Ready for a change, he took on a cadet role at the Cornelius Police Department and started the BLET program at Central Piedmont's Merancas Campus in January 2022, finishing in May of that year.

Mychal chose Central Piedmont for its convenience, with the Merancas facility located roughly 10 minutes from his house, as well as the program’s reputation for producing high-quality law enforcement officers.

“Central Piedmont laid a very good and solid foundation for my sworn law enforcement career,” Mychal said. 

Mychal notes classroom work was about 60% of BLET training, with practical hands-on work making up the remaining 40%. Throughout the months of training with instructors possessing real-world experience, he developed a close camaraderie with other students as they went through long days together, encouraging one another to succeed.

Mychal was supported by the Cornelius Police Department as he completed training, earning a salary while the agency covered his books and tuition.

Since finishing the program, he has served as a field training officer — a source of pride as he taught new officers — and a recruiter. He is now assigned as a school resource officer at a middle school, where he has the opportunity to build relationships and connect with a new generation. 

Mychal hopes to move up the ranks throughout his career, saying it is all about “God’s timing.”

He acknowledges the path to becoming a police officer is tough, but advises students it will ultimately pay off.

“It’s going to be challenging, but the reward at the end is worth the challenge,” he said. “If you really want to do this type of work and be in law enforcement, protect the community, serve your community and do everything the job entails, it’s going to take a lot of hard work. It's going to take a lot of sacrifice. It's going to take blood, sweat and tears, but I will guarantee you the reward at the end is very much worth all the sacrifice you put in.”