Board To Add Law Enforcement Program At LATI

The South Dakota Board of Education says it will add a law enforcement program at Lake Area Technical Institute in Watertown ahead of a projected shortage of officers in the state.

The program will begin in the fall of 2014 and take students 18 months to complete. Those graduating with an AAS degree will be trained in legal, technical and practical aspects of law enforcement.

LATI President Deb Shephard says the new program will complement the school's medical and fire rescue program.

Southeast Tech in Sioux Falls and Western Dakota Tech in Rapid City also have law enforcement programs. But Shephard says the Watertown program will fill a void in northeast South Dakota, as Southeast doesn't get many law enforcement students from the region.