Moraine Park Technical College celebrated its first Jail Officer Academy graduation on Monday, Dec. 8. The inaugural class included seven students from Fond du Lac, Dodge and Chippewa counties.
In April 2025, the College officially announced its partnership with Fond du Lac County and the Wisconsin Department of Justice (WI DOJ) to develop a jail officer training academy. Under the agreement, the College will use classrooms and training spaces in the former UW–Oshkosh at Fond du Lac Campus Arts Building, now renamed the Public Safety Training Center and located within the newly created Fond du Lac County Campus (FCC). The training curriculum, developed by the WI DOJ, includes 200 hours of classroom and hands-on instruction delivered over five weeks.
In Wisconsin, individuals must be DOJ-certified to work in a county jail. Currently, officers attend training classes as they become available throughout the state, which increases costs for counties. Statewide academies often fill quickly, causing significant delays for officers awaiting training. The newly developed Jail Academy partnership will fulfill the certification requirements while saving the county time and resources, allowing them to train their officers faster and more affordably.
“This partnership required collaboration from many parties,” Dr. Chris Schatz, dean of Health and Human Services at Moraine Park, said. “Fond du Lac County provided the learning spaces, the WI DOJ provided the state-approved curriculum and the College provided the instruction and program administration. Together, we are helping to fuel the pipeline of skilled jail officers.”
The seven officers who completed their training are Nicholas Amsden, Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office; Thomas Ashley, Dodge County Sheriff’s Office; Nathan Fettig, Dodge County Sheriff’s Office; William Gullion, Dodge County Sheriff’s Office; Clayton Juech, Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office; Nicholas Weinberger, Dodge County Sheriff’s Office; and Jeremiah Wulff, Chippewa County Sheriff’s Office.
Jail officers in Wisconsin are required to complete Jail Academy training within one year of employment. The College and Fond du Lac County plan to offer one academy each year as a starting point. County employees who complete the academy will receive a certificate from the WI DOJ upon completing the program.
Jail officers are an essential component of the criminal justice system. For more information on careers in public safety, visit morainepark.edu/criminal-justice.