By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
A longtime law enforcement officer in the Platte County Sheriff’s Office has taken over running the Law Enforcement Academy at Missouri Western State University.
Commander Joseph King comes to the post after serving in Platte County for 24 years, 10 as a division commander. He accepted the position after retiring from the force. King steps into the commander position after teaching at the academy for 21 years.
“For me, it’s an energizing opportunity. I’ve been a law enforcement trainer, like I said, for 21 years,” King tells St. Joseph Post. “So, I’m really interested in helping get the right people to the agencies to serve the communities the best.”
The Law Enforcement Academy on the St. Joseph campus serves both independent students looking for a job in law enforcement as well as members of local jurisdictions seeking additional training. Most of the cadets come from regional law enforcement agencies.
The academy has about 20 students this semester.
Changes in law enforcement, from cultural changes to changes in law, are very much a part of the instruction provided cadets at academy.
King says it’s important for the academy and its students to keep up with change.
“When there are things changing, the fact that I’ve already been doing it, it’s oftentimes a big change for me, though it may not be really for them,” King says. “And I’ve always argued that the most successful people in this line of work are the ones that can be flexible to the things that change.”
King says while change must be acknowledged, he doesn’t want cadets bogged down with things they have no control over.
“The idea is when we raise our hand, we swear an oath to perform at a certain level and to enforce certain laws,” King says. “I didn’t write the laws. I’m going to do my job as I professed to do it, regardless of what the law is at the moment.”