Photo By James Stare | (Courtesy Photo) Cruzan Family Photo: From Left, Christina, Madison, Jack held by...... read more read more
FLETC Native American Alaska Native Spotlight: Darren Cruzan
NOTE: The Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC) is known for its training curriculum to some of the best law enforcement personnel in the world. FLETC also has a culturally diverse staff who provide instruction and support to those seeking training. As we acknowledge Native American Native Alaska Heritage Month around the nation, FLETC spotlights some of these individuals who support the law enforcement mission.
Since February 2019, Darren A. Cruzan has served as the assistant director for the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC) in the National Capital Region (NCR) in Washington, D.C.
Before that, he was the director of the U.S. Department of the Interior's (DOI) Office of Law Enforcement and Security.
“In the DOI, I provided leadership, policy guidance, and oversight to the department's law enforcement, security, and intelligence programs to include the National Park Service, United States Park Police, United States Fish and Wildlife, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Reclamation,” Cruzan said.
Prior to the DOI appointment, Cruzan served for seven years as Director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA).
Working for FLETC is chartered and familiar territory for Cruzan. “I was a Training Sergeant at the United States Indian Police Academy in Artesia, New Mexico from 1997 to 2000. While there, I worked at one point for both Terry Todd [site director for the Artesia, New Mexico Training Delivery Point (TDP)] and Woody Wright [administrative division chief at Artesia], and learned much of what I know about leadership from watching them lead. In fact, there have been many times that I have been speaking and think ‘Wow that sounded like something Terry Todd would say.’ When that happens, I know I probably got it right.”
Cruzan continued, “I credit my law enforcement career in large part to the amazing training I received as a brand new Tribal Officer at the IPA [Indian Police Academy]. I have been to many FLETC trainings from basic training and CITP [Criminal Investigator Training Program] (where FLETC Assistant Director Bryan Lemons was my legal instructor), to almost all of our Instructor Training Programs.”
According to Cruzan, throughout his career, he always knew he wanted to be a part of the FLETC training team.
“I told myself I would take any opportunity presented to me from being on the executive team to being a role player or anything in between,” Cruzan said. “I just knew I wanted to be a part of training new law enforcement professionals.”
Cruzan and his two daughters, Hannah and Madison, are proud members of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, which has Tribal Headquarters based in Miami, Oklahoma in the northeastern corner of the state.
Cruzan stated, “The population of the Miami Tribe is approximately 4,400, and our Tribal citizens can be found living in all 50 states as well as outside the boundaries of the United States. The Tribe experienced a series of forced removals from our historic homelands in what became the states of Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Michigan, to lands lying west of the Mississippi in what would become the state of Kansas, and then from Kansas to Indian Territory, which later became the state of Oklahoma.”
Cruzan credits his mother, Shirley Leonard Sweeten, as the person who has influenced his life the most. “She was the single mother of three kids, and in terms of money, I would have to say we were probably on the ‘didn’t have much’ end of the spectrum.”
“We certainly didn’t think we were poor, and the life lessons and character that she demonstrated to my sister, my brother and I were priceless; I wouldn’t trade them for anything.”
When asked when he knew he wanted a career in law enforcement, Cruzan recalled one night, though he was not old enough to join the police force yet, that he accompanied his father, Jim Cruzan, to the Joplin, Missouri police reserve program where his dad was receiving some training.
“The instructor was covering ‘handcuff nomenclature’ and slid the cuffs towards me, and the moment I picked them up, I was infected with the ‘law enforcement bug. I immediately knew what I wanted to do with my life, and I can honestly say, I would do my entire career over again if I had the chance.”
Cruzan enjoys playing the drums, which is something he has done for the last 35 years. “I have been in a few bands but I realize that I am probably not as cool or as good as I think I am when I am playing, but I enjoy it anyway,” Cruzan said.
Other hobbies also include running and spending time with wife Christina of 27 years and their daughters.
Cruzan proudly announced that newlywed daughter Hannah, a registered nurse who got married Oct. 31 and her husband Alex, a recent United States Naval Academy graduate, are in Pensacola, Fla., where Alex is in the U. S. Navy becoming an Aviator. His other daughter Madison is in her first year at Virginia Tech. “Go Hokies!”, Cruzan said.
As he reflects on the month of recognition for Native Americans and Alaska Natives, Cruzan said, “As native people, we share a common history, but we should not be trapped in the past. Instead, I think it’s important that we work diligently to make choices and changes built solidly on the foundation, and character traits passed on to us by our family that came before us.”
Cruzan gives credit to some of the career leaders he has known during his evolving work. “I have been a part of some amazing leadership teams in my 25-plus years in the profession, but I have never been a part of a better team than we have here at the FLETC”, Cruzan said.
“Our Director [Thomas J. Walters] has a clear strategic plan for us, and the Deputy [William Fallon] is laser focused on walking us through the steps we need to take to reach those goals. I learn something new every day from my FLETC colleagues both here in the NCR and at the other TDPs. We have an incredibly important mission, and we do great things, and I believe even greater things are still to come!”
| Date Taken: | 11.17.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 11.17.2020 11:06 |
| Story ID: | 383193 |
| Location: | GLYNCO, GEORGIA, US |
| Web Views: | 479 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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