Graduates of the Reserve Police Academy are in no particular order, Chris Gerlach and Landon Heinen, Durant Police Department; Amber Cendejas, James McAdams, Joseph Gastineau and Willie Toombs, Bryan County Sheri_’s Oce; John Grant, Achille Police Department; Montana Williams and Zakkary Gilmore, Bokchito Police Department, and Johnathon Wingfield, Samuel Cisneros and Samuel Kang, Colbert Police Department; Byron Beshirs, Kingston Police Department; Victor Seeley, Kingston Fire Marshal; Michael Zetterberg, Stonewall Police Department, and Roderick Jones, Thackerville Police Department. Matt Swearengin | Durant Democrat
Sixteen cadets graduated from The Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training (CLEET) Reserve Academy hosted by the Durant Police Department, and the graduation was held last week at Durant High School.
The Bryan County graduates are: Chris Gerlach and Landon Heinen, Durant Police Department; Amber Cendejas, James McAdams, Joseph Gastineau and Willie Toombs, Bryan County Sheriff’s Office; John Grant, Achille Police Department; Montana Williams and Zakkary Gilmore, Bokchito Police Department, and Johnathon Wingfield, Samuel Cisneros and Samuel Kang, Colbert Police Department.
Other graduates are: Byron Beshirs, Kingston Police Department; Victor Seeley, Kingston Fire Marshal; Michael Zetterberg, Stonewall Police Department, and Roderick Jones, Thackerville Police Department.
The academy was from Oct. 20, 2025, through March 31, 2026.
Durant Police Chief Jesse Petty said the event was held to recognize the reserve academy graduates.
“It’s an incredible honor for the simple fact that these men and women that have volunteered their time, have spent countless hours on weekends and nights after doing their normal duties jobs elsewhere to help serve the community,” Petty said. “So, this is a huge commitment for a civilian who wants to volunteer to help out in a law enforcement capacity.”
Petty said he is super proud of the two Durant graduates, and the department has about seven reserve officers right now.
“So, this will help add to the numbers, and we want to continue building up the numbers and certainly want to get some interest stirred up within the community for folks to volunteer,” Petty said. We’re always looking for some folks and maybe we’ll host another academy soon.”
Sheriff Joey Tucker said, “We try to get these reserve classes together as often as we can to get as many people as we can trained that want to be able to volunteer with us and so these guys have put in six to seven months’ worth of work. Saturdays, nights, weekends, putting in all of the hard work to get their certification with CLEET and so this is a graduation night and I’m so proud of them.”
According to Tucker, Amber Cendejas has been employed with the Bryan County Sheriff’s Office since the late 1990s, and she had never gone to the reserve academy.
“We asked if she could go through a school this year, and she said yes and she has blown it out of the water,” Tucker said. “She is doing great and this is her graduation. This is kind of a special night for her too because she’s been with us so long, never holding a commission card and this is her first commission card for her to hold and so it’s great.”
Scott Phelps was the CLEET Academy coordinator, and the diplomas were presented by Vonnie Houser, CLEET field representative.
