FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024

Contact: Tony Mangan, Communications Director, 605-773-6878

PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley congratulates the 19 recruits who graduate Friday, September 20, from the Law Enforcement Training program held in Sioux Falls.

“The Sioux Falls Academy is a testament to the partnership between the Attorney General’s Office, the Sioux Falls Police Department, and other law enforcement agencies,” said Attorney General Jackley, who will be the ceremony’s keynote speaker. “This academy allows the recruits to stay at home during training and allows the participating law enforcement agencies to fill needed officer positions.”

This is the sixth Law Enforcement Training program to graduate from the Sioux Falls regional academy. The academy was started in 2020 and is managed by the state Law Enforcement Training program. As part of its partnership in the regional academy, the Sioux Falls Police Department contributes adjunct instructors for the program and hosts the program in its facility.

The Sioux Falls program lasts 13 weeks. Graduates are required to complete 520 hours of course work that includes instruction in the law, arrest control tactics, firearms, vehicle handling, and criminal investigations.

Members of the 191st Basic Law Enforcement Certification Course and their law enforcement organization are:

*** Samantha Ariasola, Sioux Falls Police Department.

*** George Babbage, Sioux Falls Police Department.

*** Dylan Benes, Sioux Falls Police Department.

*** Austin Bennett, Sioux Falls Police Department.

*** Spenser Bermudez, Sioux Falls Police Department.

*** Tianna Bumbaca-Kuehl, Sioux Falls Police Department.

*** Lucas Fisher, Sioux Falls Police Department.

*** Katherine Frank, Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office.

*** Rex Harrison, Sioux Falls Police Department.

*** Kyle Hartze, Sioux Falls Police Department.

*** Dominick Hintz-Stahl, Sioux Falls Police Department.

*** Christopher Huber, Sioux Falls Police Department.

*** Ashley McKenna, Sioux Falls Police Department.

*** Temothy Rodriguez Gomez, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office.

*** Jessalyn Runge, Sioux Falls Police Department.

*** Andrew Sorensen, Brandon Police Department.

*** John Vreugdenhil, Sioux Falls Police Department.

*** Elijah Westerberg, Sioux Falls Police Department.

*** Stephen Willcox, Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office.

Friday’s graduation ceremony starts at 10 a.m. in the Old Courthouse Museum, 200 W. 6th St. in Sioux Falls.

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