Purcellville Police Dept. held swearing in for two officers

On Thursday, Dec. 15, the Purcellville Police Department held a swearing in ceremony for their two new officers. The ceremony took place at the Town Hall Council Chambers and was attended by members of the Purcellville Police Department, Town staff, as well as Blue Ridge District Supervisor, Tony Buffington and the Honorable Clerk of Loudoun Circuit Court, Gary Clemens.

The Purcellville Police Department swore in their new hires, Carl Benjamin Nett and Belaal Khan, who successfully completed the Northern Virginia Criminal Justice Training Academy.

Their official NVCJTA graduation ceremony from the 147 th  Session took place on Monday, Dec. 19. The challenging six-month long academy program for police officers and sheriff deputies from the Northern Virginia area covered numerous law enforcement principals and procedures, including criminal investigation, legal, patrol, and practical skills.

Major components of the performance-based training include first-aid, CPR, crisis intervention, control tactics, firearms training, and driver training. Officers Nett and Khan will undergo an additional three months of field training with the Purcellville Police Department before being released as solo patrol officers.

Officer Khan recently moved from New Jersey to join the Purcellville Police Department, where he was previously an auxiliary police officer for four years. While in New Jersey, Officer Khan also volunteered at the Bogota Rescue Department, and was a crossing guard for the Bogota Police Department. In addition, Officer Khan speaks and reads several languages including Urdu and a dialect of Arabic.

Officer Nett comes to the Purcellville Police Department with over 20 years of national security and law enforcement experience. Officer Nett first started with the Presidential Protective Division of the U.S. Secret Service, graduating from the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Artesia, New Mexico and the Secret Service Training Academy in Beltsville, Maryland. He then supported the National Clandestine Service of the CIA for six years. In addition, Officer Nett spent ten years leading a Pentagon mission at the U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay.