Peru, Nebraska – Peru State College’s Criminal Justice Club, Kappa Omicron Rho (KOR), recently attended the American Criminal Justice Association (ACJA) – Lambda Alpha Epsilon (LAE) regional conference October 27-30, 2022, in Warrensburg, Missouri. KOR received the Top Percentage trophy for Region 3.

KOR members had opportunities to compete in Crime Scene and Physical Agility competitions; written exams; and hear a speaker from the Criminal Justice field.

Faculty members Danny Hayes and Stephanie Huddle, instructors of Criminal Justice, along with college staff member Shawn Sherman, workforce liaison, sponsored the group which attended the annual event.

Hayes commented, “These conferences are an excellent opportunity for our students to create stronger connections to their fellow students, improve their networking skills, and to see how they compare to their peers from other schools around the country. For our chapter to win another Top Percentage trophy is impressive and really shows the other schools how amazing the students at Peru State College really are.” 

The following are the results of the various competitions and results in which students, faculty, and staff participated:

  • Avery Arban (Peru) – Upper Division
    • Third place in Crime Scene Investigation
    • First place in Physical Agility female 25 and under
  • AJ Hayes (Peru) – Upper Division
    • First place in Juvenile Delinquency written exam
    • Third place in Corrections written exam
    • Third place in Criminal Law written exam
  • Matthew Gronenthal (Platte Center) – Upper Division
    • Third place in Crime Scene Investigation
  • Sam Peterson (Broken Bow) – Upper Division
    • Second place in Crime Scene Investigation (Professional Division)
  • Sam Wissmann (Falls City) – Upper Division
    • Third place in Crime Scene Investigation
  • Danny Hayes – Professional Division
    • First place in Corrections written exam
    • First place in LAE knowledge written exam
    • Third place in Juvenile Delinquency exam
    • Third place in Police Management written exam
    • Second place in Physical Agility male 36 and over
  • Stephanie Huddle – Professional Division
    • Second place in Crime Scene Investigation
    • First place in Physical Agility female 36 and over
  • Shawn Sherman – Professional Division
    • Third place in Criminal Law written exam
    • Second place in Crime Scene Investigation
    • First place in Physical Agility male 36 and over

Other students attending the conference included Joseph Fausti (Greenwood) and Karington Sims (Kearney).

Sims, KOR President, stated, “This year’s conference heavily focused on teamwork. Our chapter did a great job representing Peru State College as young professionals. I enjoyed getting to know my peers and classmates better and getting to know them outside the classroom.”

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