Former student officer Alex Barnes returned to University Police as a fully certified police officer, after graduating at the top of his class from Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Basic Law Enforcement Regional Training Academy.Barnes is a former Student Government Association president and a member of the Nicholls Hall of Fame. He graduated from Nicholls in May 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in government and an associate’s degree in criminal justice.

Barnes graduated from the training academy with a 98.26 percent grade.

“I had already seen and been through many of the trainings,” Barnes said. “The biggest advantage came with the legal concepts. I graduated from Nicholls with a criminal justice degree, so that along with being involved with Campus Police helped out a lot.”

Craig Jaccuzzo, the director of University Police, said that Barnes was the first student officer he hired after becoming director six years ago.

“I am very proud of Alex,” Jaccuzzo said. “The program is beneficial to the students and the department. Not only are student officers an important asset to the force, providing the first level of campus security before certified police officers, they’re also given a valuable opportunity to prepare for their own law enforcement careers.”

As a student at Nicholls, Barnes was a member of the Mu-Zeta Chapter of the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity.

“We are a chapter that takes pride in being the best at everything,” fraternity brother, Rynn Porche said.

Porches and the other members of the chapter are very happy to have Barnes back on campus.

“He gives great advice to all of us,” Porche said.