CFCC public safety director receives statewide award for criminal justice training

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — A Cape Fear Community College program director has received statewide recognition for his contributions to criminal justice education and law enforcement training.

Tim Fuss, CFCC’s senior program director of Public Safety, Law Enforcement, Criminal Justice and Public Administration Programs, received the 2026 Partnership Award from the North Carolina Department of Justice’s Criminal Justice Standards Division.

Fuss was honored during the 2026 Criminal Justice School Directors’ Conference, held Sept. 20-22 in Greensboro.

The newly established award recognizes a school director or qualified assistant whose collaboration and dedication have helped advance criminal justice training standards across North Carolina.

“I’m incredibly honored to receive this recognition,” Fuss said. “Training the next generation of law enforcement professionals is a responsibility I take seriously, and having the opportunity to help strengthen training standards across North Carolina makes that work even more meaningful.”

According to CFCC, Fuss has played a significant role in developing and improving training materials and assessments used by criminal justice professionals statewide.

His contributions include drafting test questions for 38 Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET) end-of-block examinations, developing 14 lesson plans for instructor training and curriculum design pilot courses, and helping create the state’s new Specialized Firearms Instructor Training examination.

Fuss also served on a team that reviewed more than 1,800 BLET test questions, contributed to the School Directors’ Advisory Group and assisted with documentation for the commission’s Executive Committee.

He completed that work while overseeing two 868-hour BLET courses, detention officer training courses and an instructor training course at CFCC.

“Tim’s recognition reflects the expertise and leadership he brings to Cape Fear Community College,” CFCC President Jim Morton said. “His dedication to strengthening criminal justice training across North Carolina demonstrates the impact our faculty and staff have well beyond the classroom.”