MARQUETTE -- A new class of corrections officers had their graduation ceremony Friday. At the Ramada Inn in Marquette graduates of the corrections academy accepted their certificates and took an oath read by sheriff Mike Lovelace. The class is smaller than usual with only 12 graduates advancing from the academy, and many of them already have jobs lined up.

"Nine of them are from Marquette county and they are hired with Marquette county so they will start on Monday actually, they're going to start their forty hour training and do some shadow shifting," said Sgt. Shelley Simula, corrections.

Simula also said that the smaller class size allowed the instructors to get to know the students better and work closely with them. The academy covers a wide range of training used in corrections from defensive tactics to interpersonal communications.