Fletcher police chief graduates OSBI Agents’ Academy

FLETCHER — The police chief from Fletcher earned a rare accomplishment recently and is the first from Comanche County to do so.

Police Chief Jason DeLonais graduated from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation’s Agents’ Academy on May 13. He was one of 16 municipal and county officers hand-selected to attend the academy.

DeLonais has 25 years in law enforcement and has served as Fletcher’s police chief since 2017.

FIRST FROM COMANCHE COUNTY

DeLonais is the first officer from the Fletcher Police Department to attend the OSBI Agents’ Academy and the only municipal officer from Comanche County to ever attend. The Fletcher Police Department is the smallest Agency to ever have been represented in the history of the Agents’ Academy, according to DeLonais.

“This is tremendous accomplishment for any agency but even more so for the Fletcher Police Department given our small size,” he said.

“I am very honored to have been one of 16 municipal and county officers selected throughout the State of Oklahoma to attend the 19th Agents’ Academy for the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. It was a career highlight for me.”

DeLonais said it offered an opportunity to strengthen the abilities at the Fletcher Police Department, not only in areas of training, but also the ability to reach out and utilize the new friendships and powerful bonds forged with fellow law enforcement officers and special agents during the academy.

“Networking is a highly effective medium to help resolve any criminal matter,” he said.

TRAINING

DeLonais said this premier two-month long course of study was taught by expert instructors who provided comprehensive training and professional development for law enforcement officials, covering topics such as advanced investigative techniques, advanced homicide investigations, forensic science, death investigations, crimes against children, officer involved shootings/use of force investigations, advanced interview and interrogation techniques, blood stain pattern analysis and much more.

The Academy cadets were challenged with weekly tests, case studies, and had to demonstrate practical applications of complex investigative and forensic techniques, as well as maintain a minimum average of 80 percent in order to graduate, according to DeLonais.

Since OSBI’s inception in 1925, there have only been 19 Agents’ Investigative Academies held.

CHIEF’S APPRECIATION

DeLonais said he has a lot of people he wants to offer gratitude to for helping him get through the training.

“Thank you to the officers at the Police Department for taking care of things while I was gone,” he said. “Also, a huge thank you to my wife and daughter for their support and enduring the hardship of me being away.”