By Dr. Ferrell Miller
JC Breakfast Optimists
On Wednesday, July 24, Junction City Police Department’s Assistant Chief of Police, Cory Odell met with the JC Breakfast Optimist Club members at Jim Clark’s Chevrolet showroom on Goldenbelt Boulevard. Cory grew up in a small town north of Corcordia, Kansas. His studies in college prepared him to be a band director until he did his student teaching. His internship as a music major helped him decide that teaching elementary students to play a band instrument was not a career he wanted to pursue.
Cory worked on a farm and became interested in criminal justice. He holds degrees from Kansas Wesleyan and the University of Cincinnati in that area of concentration.
His cousin is City Commissioner Rona Larson. She invited him to visit the Junction City Police Department and take a ride-along one evening. “That hooked me. I knew from that point that
I would make law enforcement my career”, he said. Since joining the department, Cory has held all positions except that of being a School Resource Officer. “ Most of my experience has been in investigations”, Cory added. He is also a court recognized expert on sex trafficking and sexual exploitation of children.
The Assistant Police Chief told the Optimist Club members that “some of the goals of the new administration is to do more community outreach; rotate shifts so that no one officer is locked into working only days or only nights and recruitment of officers”.
Establishing and maintaining positive relationships and involving community members in the interview process of captains and above for instance has been put in place. That process has had a positive impact on not only those being interviewed, but also the citizens and others who have been involved. He said “We used a business model for recent candidate interviews and included the JC Human Resources Department, a member of a civic organization, a representative from a local church, USD 475 and a retired person. None of these people had law enforcement experience. The second step in the process candidates interviewed with members from the KBI, Fort Riley, Riley County and the Abilene Police Departments and the final interviews will be conducted by the JCPD Police Chief in a one to one situation, Cory stated.