From battlefield, to education, to law enforcement, Izaiah Grogan ’21 dedicates much of his life to country and community.
“Dr. Lonnie Booker (former KWU director of Emergency Management) talked a lot about his time in law enforcement, and did a good job of making it sound interesting,” he said. “I have a lot of friends that are in law enforcement. I’ve talked to them, done ride alongs and experienced what they do.”
He continues this mission as he attends the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center in Hutchinson. Upon completion of his training in September, he will begin a career as a law enforcement officer at the Salina Police Department.
Prior to attending Kansas Wesleyan University, Grogan spent four years in the Marine Corps. He served two deployments in Iraq, where he was in charge of a Combined Anti-Armor Team (CAAT).
When he returned to the states, he chose to attend KWU and double-majored in Criminal Justice and Emergency Management.
During his studies, Grogan was also leader of the KWU Cadet Corps for a year-and-a-half.
“That club helped me make connections locally. I knew almost all the brass from town before I even got a job,” he said. “There were lots of networking events that I helped with. It put me a step above going forward.”
The campus group, composed of high-achieving students in the Criminal Justice and Emergency Management programs, gives students the opportunity to connect with professionals in their fields. This extra exposure helps make students like Grogan standouts in their major.
For his leadership in the Cadet Corps, Grogan was the 2019-20 school year recipient of the Campbell/Hurd Emergency Management Award. Part of that leadership role included teaching “Stop the Bleed,” a trauma-management program dedicated to educating people nationwide about how to quickly and efficiently staunch the bleeding of severe wounds.
While Grogan is accustomed to the pace of college academics, he said his 14-week training is different.
“It’s going to be challenging being away from my kids for so long, but I’m looking forward to doing the hands-on application of all I learned in college,” he said.
His experience at KWU helped shape realistic expectations of his career.
“I have a good idea of what law enforcement looks like across the board: local, state and federal. It helps give a purpose to what you’re doing,” he said. “I know all the terms and actions, and I feel like I’m not way behind the curve.”
Grogan completed an internship at Salina County Emergency Management, overseen by Michelle Barkley ’18. The experience provided him opportunities to take part in multiple ride alongs and help execute a search warrant.
Though he will begin as an officer, he said he would like to stay with the department through retirement. In the process, he wants to learn and experience different specialized fields within law enforcement.
His experiences with the Salina Community while at KWU influenced this former Concordia resident’s decision to sign on with the SPD.
“There’s a big relationship between law enforcement and the [Salina] community,” Grogan said. “The idea of being able to help out a community and see that change directly is really big for me.”
By Skylar Nelson
Pictured: Grogan with Michelle Barkley ’18, Saline County Director of Emergency Management
