As Chief of Police for the City of Kimball, I would like to highlight our police department. I am very humbled by the quality of officers we have. As I mentioned many times before, we are not in a hurry to be fully staffed. We will not take the first applicant who comes to our agency. Officers will go through the process that I have previously discussed at public meetings to be employed with the Kimball Police Department. It is not an easy process to go through, nor should it be. Applicants need to be properly vetted before being put into this position.

I am proud to say that our current officers, as well as one currently at the academy, have successfully made it through the rigorous process. The officers we currently have were well-decorated at their previous agencies. Some of the awards and achievements are as follows:

Fitness Award

Commendation Award

Community Service Award

Meritorious Service Award

Distinguished Service Award

Lifesaving Awards

Purple Heart

As well as, a Medal of Valor

I would also like to touch on our current officers’ instructor certifications, as well as other specialty certifications. Our agency is almost self-sufficient when it comes to physical skills. Other agencies larger than ours have reached out to our department for training opportunities. Some of these certifications include:

Traffic Incident Management Instructor

Certified Rifle and Pistol Armorer

Emergency Vehicle Operator Course Instructor (EVOC)

Tactical Shield Certification

Supervisor School

Management School

Stop sticks and Stinger spike strips Instructor

Defensive Tactics Instructor

Firearms Instructor

Less Lethal Munitions Instructor

PepperBall Instructor/Armorer

K9 Handler Certification

3 Certified Field Trainers

Specialized training for major crime scene investigation

Tactical Emergency Casualty Care (TECC) Certification

CPR and AED Certification

The State requirement for training is 32 hours a year. The Kimball Police Department is implementing a requirement of 40 training hours per year. It will be the new standard, as well as the expectation of our officers going forward. Our officers have the following number of hours for 2024:

Officer Luft: 43 hours

Sgt. Barboza: 87 hours

Chief Ruiz: 85 hours

Officer Mckenzie: 91 hours

This does not include 85 hours for K9 handler school. Officer Luft started with the Kimball Police Department midway through 2024.

Again, I must say I am humbled. To have these officers working for me has been a blessing. They work long hours, they rarely miss work, they are willing to step in and do what is needed for the agency without complaining. Properly vetting our officers is critical to the success of a department. What I am speaking to is a direct result of that extensive hiring process and why we are selective. These officers chose to leave what was comfortable to help be the foundation for this agency in Kimball. To have this type of representation for an agency our size is remarkable. I am very thankful for each and every one of them.

Chief Ruiz

Kimball Police Chief