The Pierre Police Department and the Hughes, Edmunds, Corson, Potter, Lyman, Hand and Faulk County Sheriff’s Offices are among the 29 law enforcement agencies that will be adding officially certified employees after Friday’s (June 6, 2025) graduation of 36 students from South Dakota’s Basic Law Enforcement Certification Course in Pierre.
The graduates represent local, state and tribal law enforcement agencies.
The course is required for the students to become fully qualified law enforcement officers in South Dakota. Graduates complete 520 hours of course work that includes instruction in the law, arrest control tactics, firearms, vehicle handling and criminal investigations. The training program is taught by full-time staff from the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation and adjunct instructors from law enforcement agencies across the state.
Attorney General Jackley was the keynote speaker. He congratulated the graduates for committing themselves to serving their communities and the state as law enforcement officers.
Members of the 196th Basic Law Enforcement Certification Course and their law enforcement agency are:
- Andrea Carlson, Edmunds County Sheriff’s Department;
- Jacen Hancock, Hughes County Sheriff’s Office;
- Parker DeRouchey, Corson County Sheriff’s Office;
- Zane Lewis, Pierre Police Department;
- Alexander Sorenson, Potter County Sheriff’s Office;
- Casey Uthe, Lyman County Sheriff’s Office;
- James Waldrop, Hand County Sheriff’s Office;
- Jonathan Otter, Faulk County Sheriff’s Office;
- Sadie Bartle, Rapid City Police Department;
- Carson Between Lodges, Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety;
- David Briesemeister, Mitchell Police Department;
- Alex Burkel, Charles Mix County Sheriff’s Department;
- Jesse Cummings, Box Elder Police Department;
- Kevin Peterson, Brookings Police Department;
- Steven Diaconu, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office;
- Kody Elbert, South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks;
- Andrew Erickson, Brookings County Sheriff’s Office;
- Christopher Jackson, Kingsbury County Sheriff’s Office;
- Nathan Johnson, Rapid City Police Department;
- Trey Kelderman, South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks;
- Chance Kerner, Pennington County Sheriff’s Office;
- Kendon Koep, Watertown Police Department;
- Jacob Kumpf, Brown County Sheriff’s Office;
- Josef Long Solider, Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety;
- Clint Mitchell, Sturgis Police Department;
- Andrew Nelson, McCook County Sheriff’s Office;
- Joe Pham, Elk Point Police Department;
- Jazlyn Phelps, Rapid City Police Department;
- Tabor Schabot, Aberdeen Police Department;
- Kaitlyn Schmeling, Watertown Police Department;
- Jackson Spurr, Spink County Sheriff’s Office;
- Troy Thompson, Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office;
- Jimmy Wade, Wagner Police Department;
- Nathan Williams, Harding County Sheriff’s Office;
- Thane Witt, Sisseton Police Department;
- Paetyn Yeshulas, Pennington County Sheriff’s Office.
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