Bakeberg Graduates as DARE Instructor at Ceremony in Pierre

Ryan Bakeberg of the Milbank Police Department was one of 21 law enforcement officers from five states recognized by South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley at their DARE instructor graduation on Friday, June 21. The two-week Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) training was held at the George S. Mickelson Criminal Justice Center in Pierre.

“These new D.A.R.E. instructors will now go into the classroom and teach children in elementary and middle school classes how to resist peer pressure and live productive lives free from harmful drugs and violence,” said Attorney General Jackley. “This course is all about protecting our children.”

The officers who attended the training were from agencies in South Dakota, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, and Wyoming, Three mentors and one educator taught the course. Participants spent more than 100 hours during the two weeks working on their classroom presentations and speaking skills. Graduation from the class qualifies the officers to teach the D.A.R.E. curriculum in their local schools.

Graduates: Ryan Bakeberg, Milbank Police Department; Ashley Celander, Williams County Sheriff’s Office, North Dakota; Matt Haugen, Custer County Sheriff’s Office; Ian MacDonald, Marshall County Sheriff’s Office; JP McClellan, Williston Police Department, North Dakota; David Smith, Platte County Sheriff’s Office, Wyoming; Forest Athey, Huron Police Department; Riley Christie, Fall River County Sheriff’s Office; Bailey DeNoyer, Rosebud Police Department; Robert Fowlkes, North Platte Police Department, Nebraska; Orie Goudge, New Town Police Department, North Dakota; Austin Searles, Sisseton Police Department; Kanuani Valencia, Aberdeen Police Department; Joshua Buntain, Sturgis Police Department; Chase Cook, Williston Police Department, North Dakota; Luke Kitzmiller, University of South Dakota Police Department; Lionel Morningstar, Aberdeen Police Department; Marandah Scott, Prairie Village Police Department, Kansas; Mitchell Stanley, Vermillion Police Department; and Brandon Webb, Deadwood Police Department.

Submitted Photo