After 18 weeks, three Newcastle Police Officers were considered CLEET certified.
Officers Shyla Savage, Madison Tygart, and Hayden Rider successfully completed 700 hours of rigorous classroom and hands-on training from the Council on Law Enforcement and Education Training (CLEET).
Their training insures they have extensive knowledge of firearms, defensive tactics, emergency vehicle operations, and report writing. They also have a better awareness of what actions to take in certain situations.
Officer Savage said she became a police officer to help people. She said law enforcement runs in her family, and the desire to serve and protect came naturally.
She has also had two years in police science education at Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma City.
Officer Tygart was formerly a dispatcher for Newcastle Police Department. She and her husband, Hunter, have three children: Holland, Kyland, and London. Hunter is a deputy sheriff serving McClain County.
She has a Bachelors Degree in Science from the University of Houston.
Officer Rider was formerly a teacher, having taught three years in physical education at the Newcastle Early Childhood Center. He has a Bachelors Degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond. He previously worked at the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office for one year.
All three officers described Newcastle as a great place to work, where there is support in both the workplace and in the community.
Savage said her coworkers care about each other and want you to succeed. Tygart said everyone looks out for each other. She added that many times when going into local shops, they know you by name.
Rider said he likes the way the community sticks together. He said he lives here, his kids go to school here, and his wife teaches in Newcastle Public Schools.
“I’m very invested in the city, and I want what is best for the city. I feel like all the people of the community feel the same way.”
Rider said everyone cares for each other, looks out for each other, and everyone knows one another.
“It’s a great environment to be a part of,” he said.
Their CLEET certification prepares them for almost anything they will come across on the job in Newcastle.
Savage said in CLEET they put you in situations that you will face out on the street.
“They teach you and prepare you for what you will face,” she said.
Rider said Newcastle is unique in that many of their emergency responses are because of outsiders to the community.
He said the city is surrounded by highways, and Newcastle Police have to make sure the visitors are abiding by the community’s rules.
Regardless of whether they are interacting with visitors or with the local residents, all three officers said they feel they are better prepared because of their CLEET certification.
