Among the 45 recruits graduating Friday (Nov. 14, 2025) from South Dakota’s Basic Law Enforcement Certification Course are officers that are joining the Mobridge, Pierre, Murdo and Gregory Police Departments.
The 13-week certification course is required for the students to become fully qualified law enforcement officers in South Dakota. 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. The training program is taught by full-time staff from the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation and adjunct instructors from law enforcement agencies from across the state.
Members of the 198th Basic Law Enforcement Certification Course represent 31 different state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies. The graduates and their law enforcement agency are:
- Clay Ambach, Pierre Police Department;
- W Barrett Martin, Pierre Police Department;
- Jon Esmay, Murdo Police Department;
- Gracie Koenig, Gregory Police Department;
- Ramiro Romero, Mobridge Police Department;
- Michael Volz, Mobridge Police Department;
- Dustin Baxter, Jr., Mellette County Sheriff’s Office;
- Ryan Zimmerman, Faulk County Sheriff’s Office;
- Lamar Anderson, Lead Police Department;
- Fabian Avelar, Rapid City Police Department;
- Alan Blackburn, Yankton Sioux Tribe;
- Brandon Briseno, Jr., Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety;
- Jonathan Carlstedt, Yankton Police Department;
- Jake Cote, Rapid City Police Department;
- Darli Diaz Gonzalez, Huron Police Department;
- Stephanie Dockter, Rapid City Police Department;
- Austin Edwards, Elk Point Police Department;
- Michael Fedt, Watertown Police Department;
- Jonathan Fiester, Rapid City Police Department;
- Isabella Fills the Pipe, Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety;
- Mariah Koenig, Vermillion Police Department;
- Abby Lawrence, Spearfish Police Department;
- Dusty Merchen, Belle Fourche Police Department;
- Lindsey Miller, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation;
- Noah Misselt, Pennington County Sheriff’s Office;
- Caleb Misselt, Box Elder Police Department;
- Caleb Mohror, Union County Sheriff’s Office;
- Makendra Oschsner, Brown County Sheriff’s Office;
- Christopher Owusu, Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office;
- Jamie Peckenpaugh, Rapid City Police Department;
- Shawn Perkins, Jr., Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety;
- Steven Plank, Rosebud Game, Fish and Parks Department;
- Vernon Plenty Bull, Custer County Sheriff’s Office;
- Shanden Reiners, Mitchell Police Department;
- Trent Remily, Spink County Sheriff’s Office;
- Keegan Tandy, Rapid City Police Department;
- Hailey Thompson, Box Elder Police Department;
- Benjamin Thompson, Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Police Enforcement;
- Jose Torres, Jr., Moody County Sheriff’s Office;
- Melissa Ulber, Aberdeen Police Department;
- Robert Wells, Canton Police Department;
- Talea Weston, Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety;
- Jessup Workman, Pennington County Sheriff’s Office;
- Trey Yellow Boy, Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety; and
- Ashley Yellow Bull-Mousseau, Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety.
Comments