Moraine Park Technical College celebrated its second Jail Officer Academy graduation on Friday, Oct. 16. The class included 11 officers representing five Wisconsin counties.
The College launched its Jail Officer Academy in partnership with Fond du Lac County and the Wisconsin Department of Justice (WI DOJ) in 2025. The academy provides state-approved training to meet Wisconsin’s jail officer certification requirements. Through the partnership, the College delivers training at the Public Safety Training Center, located in the former UW–Oshkosh at Fond du Lac Campus Arts Building within the Fond du Lac County Campus. The WI DOJ-developed curriculum includes 200 hours of classroom and hands-on instruction over five weeks.
In Wisconsin, individuals must be certified by the WI DOJ to work in a county jail. Officers often have to attend training as classes become available throughout the state, potentially increasing costs for counties and delaying certification. The Jail Officer Academy helps address these challenges by providing local, accessible training that allows counties to prepare officers for certification more efficiently.
The 11 officers who completed the academy are Wyatt Clary, Dodge County Sheriff’s Department; Godestablishedyou Escobedo, Dodge County Sheriff’s Office; Brian Gauvin, Outagamie County Sheriff’s Office; Brianna Janssen, Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office; Dalton Liebhauser, Winnebago County Sheriff’s Department; David Montellano, Dodge County Sheriff’s Office; Caden Sirois, Dodge County Sheriff’s Office; Julian Tobias, Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office; Gabriella VanZeeland, Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office; Ian Wallace, Dodge County Sheriff’s Office; and Cash Wichlacz, Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
Wisconsin requires jail officers to complete Jail Academy training within one year of employment. By offering this training locally, Moraine Park and Fond du Lac County are helping agencies meet that requirement while strengthening the pipeline of trained public safety professionals.
Jail officers play an essential role in the criminal justice system. For more information on careers in public safety, visit morainepark.edu/criminal-justice.