Claremore Holds First Ever CLEET-Coordinated Reserve Officer Academy

Some of Oklahoma's finest graduated today from the first ever CLEET-coordinated reserve academy. CLEET is government-funded training in Oklahoma that all officers must complete. It's typically done through an individual agency, but Saturday's class of 20 cadets in Claremore cuts out the middle man.

The executive director of CLEET - or the Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training - thinks this is the new way to train reserve officers. Reserve officers can become CLEET certified through agencies like the Tulsa Police Department's reserve agency.

But now, CLEET is running its own reserve academy, and Saturday's graduates say they're impressed by it.

"It was done; it was fast, you know, four months and we were done," said Reserve Officer Kimberley Daniel.

Their training can take up to 11 months, but through CLEET, the 20 volunteers are graduating just 240 hours later.

"Cause I got a full time job, you know," said Reserve Officer Joel Bell. "For my family, it worked out a lot better."

The typical up-to-11-month training includes CLEET certification which teaches firearms, defense tactics, criminal investigation and more. Now CLEET is offering its own reserve academy - with its own CLEET curriculum - and in less time.

Executive Director Steve Emmons says CLEET is able to do this in Rogers County because it now has an office at Rogers State University.

"I would like to try and do this at least once a year, and we'll see if we can even do it more," Emmons said.

Eleven of today's 20 graduates will be on reserve with the Rogers County Sheriff's Office. The other nine are split among six other Oklahoma sheriff's offices. Emmons says CLEET plans to offer another reserve academy soon.