Woodstock Police Det. Jonathan Kissee
By Madelyn Montgomery
Alumnus Jonathan Kissee ’13, ‘16 has reached his first career goal of being a detective for the Woodstock Police Department assigned to the Criminal Investigation Division in March of 2017.
Kissee earned his peace officer certification through Reinhardt University’s Public Safety Institute and continued on working toward his Bachelor of Criminal Justice online through Reinhardt.
“My initial college course work started at a different university,” Kissee said. “There was no way to work 12-hour rotating shifts and still take several classes a semester, let alone be enrolled as a full-time student. Reinhardt’s Criminal Justice Program enabled me to remain a full-time student and make much faster progress on my degree.”
Faculty played a key role in his success, he added. The real-world experienced professors teach more than just textbook knowledge, training officers for things like report writing, use of force and community-oriented policing.
“Both the Police Academy at Reinhardt and the Criminal Justice bachelor’s degree program helped prepare me for my career in law enforcement” said Kissee. “Without the scheduling options offered by Reinhardt, there would have been no way for me to work in law enforcement while also attending and completing school.”
While Kissee has accomplished the first career goal he set for himself, he now is working toward new goals, which include possibly one day working for the federal government.
“As far as the future goes I am unsure, whether it be federal law enforcement, corporate security, or promotion in rank at Woodstock,” he said.
Reinhardt University’s programs in criminal justice can be found at Reinhardt.edu/psga.
