by Kristin Kruse
On Tuesday, March 26, sixty-one officers walked across the stage at the Helena Civic Center to receive their certificate of completion of the 12-week-long Montana Law Enforcement Academy. One of the graduates was Stevensville’s own Cassi Kopsa, who is currently working for the Stevensville Police Department as the School Resource Officer.
Kopsa was born and raised in Stevensville, graduating from Stevensville High School in 2020. “I knew by my junior year of high school that I wanted to pursue a career in law enforcement,” stated Kopsa. She took part in a Junior Police Academy the summer between her junior and senior years, which she said sealed the deal for her. She then attended University of Providence, in Great Falls, and graduated with a degree in Criminal Justice in 2023. She was hired by Stevensville PD in May of 2023.
When asked about her experience in the academy, specifically as a female, Kopsa explained, “I was definitely a minority, but also felt supported by the males in the program. I have the ability to make friends with everyone, so it was really no problem.” Kopsa was one of seven females to complete the program, and there were 54 males who graduated.
The academy started in January, with the first few weeks mostly in the classroom. Montana state case law was the primary focus in the classroom but they were also given training in critical incidents, radar, radio communications and personal health. A week was spent focusing solely on active shooter training, which Kopsa stated was one of the best training sections they had. The classroom also brought several guest speakers that participated in the education process. Volunteers from different agencies, such as Highway Patrol, dispatch, Department of Criminal Investigations, and various court employees came to share their side of law enforcement, which was very interesting and helpful, according to Kopsa. The information that they learned was on their final exam.
The students then moved into “breakout” weeks, which included more hands-on training, like defensive tactics, where the martial art jiu jitsu is utilized to safely and effectively disarm or control a perpetrator. A driving track is used to teach safe driving techniques when an officer is involved in a high speed chase, along with getting plenty of practice with traffic stops. Several days are spent at the shooting range where officers receive extensive firearms training. They also had a full week of Driving Under the Influence training, with what Kopsa calls a “wet lab,” where a group of volunteers from the Malmstrom Air Force Base in Great Falls put themselves into various levels of intoxication in a controlled environment so that the officers have the opportunity to use different sobriety testing techniques and equipment, and how to calculate blood alcohol levels. “I especially enjoyed learning the science behind the intoxilyzer. This was one of my favorite weeks,” stated Kopsa.
To graduate from the course, officers had to pass several live scenario situations. These scenarios were acted out in a realistic way by the volunteers from Malmstrom and other law enforcement agencies, and depicted real life situations that officers are likely to encounter out in the field. These included domestic violence calls, theft, ambush and disturbances of various types. Instructors observed how each student handled the scenario, and they either passed or failed. They also had to take a written final exam, with over 100 questions. Kopsa completed the course with a 91% grade.
Kopsa returned to Stevensville last week, and is looking forward to reuniting with all of the kids at the school.
“Overall, I had a very good experience at the academy. I gained quite a bit of confidence. It was fun, but I’m really happy to be back home,” said Kopsa.
If you see Kopsa out on patrol or at the school, be sure to congratulate her on her accomplishment.