Shawn is a member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation who lives in Kansas. In 2012, he retired after dedicating 21 years to the Kansas Army National Guard, including two deployments to Iraq and one to Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Beginning his law enforcement career in 1996, Shawn has over 19 years of experience across various agencies in Kansas, progressing from patrol officer to Chief of Police. From 2015 to 2022, he worked as a midwestern regional coordinator and instructor for the State, Local, and Tribal Division (SLTD) at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC), covering several states and Tribal Nations. Since 2022, he served as the Deputy Academy Director at the United States Indian Police Academy (USIPA). He oversaw the Advanced Training Center (ATC) in Devils Lake, ND, until his retirement at the end of 2023, after which he returned to work part-time as a deputy sheriff with the Jackson County Sheriff's Office. His experience also includes training the Honduras Police during three missionary missions and serving as a police mentor in Afghanistan.
Shawn has received multiple awards for his courageous actions, including recognition from the Kansas Association of Chiefs of Police and the Metropolitan Police Chiefs and Sheriff Association. He was also honored with FLETC's "Team of the Year Award" for his contributions to Blue Courage Project.
He holds a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Washburn University and a Master of Business Administration focused on Change Management from Friends University. Currently, Shawn is working on an Educational Doctoral degree.
Since completing his first instructor course in 1997, Shawn has developed training programs in various areas, including firearms, control tactics, and leadership. He created the Pathfinder program for the USIPA-ATC, which has trained over 1,000 personnel in law enforcement-related search and rescue operations that have led to the recovery of missing persons, tracking of suspects, and recovery of evidence. He has published articles with the International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards & Training (IADLEST) and the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP). Shawn has presented at various conferences and government meetings. Additionally, he is a certified national instructor through IADLEST.
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Additionally, Shawn is a licensed Part 107 commercial drone pilot. He continues developing skills related to search and rescue and using drones for other related tasks.