Cam Bray Completes Both Mooresville Police Department, Iredell County Sheriff's Office Citizens Academy

Mooresville, N.C. – On Tuesday, June 4, Cameron M. Bray (“Cam Bray”) graduated from the Mooresville Police Department’s Citizens Academy, completing a 12-week course that covered everything from domestic violence to bicycle patrol to the Belgian Malinois.

It was Cam Bray’s second law enforcement program in less than a year. In October, he graduated from the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office course, which involved a boat patrol demonstration, jail visit, and multiple interactions with SERT: Sheriff’s Emergency Response Team.

In both experiences, Cam Bray attempted what is known to rookie officers as FATS. Plus, he saw search and rescue with canines, unnamed aerial drones, and the use of law enforcement technology such as AXON body-worn cameras, standard-issue firearms, radios, handcuffs, and vehicles.

FATS stands for firearms-training simulator. In two out of three FATs scenarios with the Mooresville Police Department, Cam Bray was fatally shot during a call for service, once during an armed robbery and a second time during a domestic disturbance. With Iredell County Sheriff’s Office, he had to confront an armed individual whom he suspected of being a danger to himself or others.

Cam Bray also completed the walk-and-turn as administered by the Traffic Unit of Mooresville Police Department, one of the Standardized Field Sobriety Tests. He was one of 18 individuals who completed the Citizens Academy with the Town of Mooresville, including roadside testing.

Among other interesting facts, graduates learned that Mooresville Police Department has more than 21,629 pieces of evidence in possession, including cash, bullet casings, and contraband.

The class was taught principally by Assistant Chief of Police Robert (“Bob”) Dyson, who is retiring from the service. Frank Falzone and Joseph Cooke also taught Cam Bray about patrol, aggressive criminal enforcement, and undercover narcotics detection as well as management of the agency. Chief of Police Ron Campurciani spoke at graduation about his experiences with the department, following his installation as commander-in-chief of the police chief of the police force in 2019.

Fallen Officer Jordan Sheldon of the K9 Unit of Mooresville Police Department loomed large over discussions by the assistant chiefs of police and by departmental sergeants assigned to the traffic desk and SERT team.

On April 30, 2024, during the eighth week of gathering, Deputy Marshal Thomas M. Weeks, Jr. of Mooresville was killed along with three law enforcement officers (“LEOs”) in the arrest of an armed fugitive, who was wanted in the Lincoln County Superior Court for unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The loss of Weeks weighed heavily on the U.S. Marshals Service and on the Mooresville Police Department, whose detectives serve in a joint task force with the U.S. Marshals Service for the apprehension of high-risk suspects out of custody. The number of LEOs currently killed in the line of duty exceeds 50 in 2024 and the Charlotte massacre was one of the worst mass casualties affecting those who carry a badge and gun in the United States.

The police and bar can have a difficult relationship that is naturally in tension because of the criminal justice system, but Cam Bray made it his mission to learn the names, ranks, and certifications of the officers who staff the patrol division of the Mooresville Police Department.

From DWI to capital murder, he recognizes the comprehensive needs and demands of public safety, the security risks inherent in the court system, and the goals of a district attorney to prosecute offenders, protect eyewitnesses, and secure justice for victims of crime in Iredell County. At the same time, he wants to educate the public about the Constitution and the Bill of Rights for which James Iredell and the Framers put into law. The jury system, he believes, is the most trustworthy finder of truth in an age where facts yield to interpretations and one man’s opinion can elect him to the highest office of the United States of America.

Through both citizens academies, Cam Bray confirmed what he had learned in the police seminar of Wake Forest University: What the Supreme Court of the United States does is less important than local police departments and sheriff’s offices in terms of enforcing the criminal and civil laws.

He graduated from Wake Forest University School of Law on May 15, 2023, and was honored by the Pro Bono Honors Society and Wake Forest Law Review before passing the North Carolina Bar Examination that summer. “I was happy to be admitted into the practice of law by Judge Bill Long in September of last year at the Iredell County courthouse,” Cam Bray said. “My experiences with the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office and Mooresville Police Department were nothing but positive for me as a new attorney.”

He added that a career in law enforcement would be appealing with the Lake Norman boat patrol, but he would enjoy having a free car.