Scholarships named for fallen Joplin police officers
Aug. 11—Jake Reed was serious about his education in law enforcement. When he was a student in Missouri Southern State University's criminal justice program, he impressed his educators with how well he caught on to concepts — especially conducting checks of driver sobriety.
"I remember teaching him how to administer a field sobriety test," said Tim Wilson, chair of the university's criminal justice department. "I remembered how seriously he took it, as well as everything else."
Wilson also talked about Ben Cooper — as a fellow student, not one of his students. The two went to the same high school and worked the same shift for the Joplin Police Department.
Reed and Cooper, Joplin police officers who were fatally shot March 8 while attempting to apprehend a suspect, were honored Wednesday with the announcement of scholarships in their names. The scholarships will be available to Joplin High School students interested in studying law enforcement at MSSU, and awarded to students based on academic standing and community service.
"What better way to honor those two outstanding men than to create something that will help people serve in the same capacity?" police Chief Sloan Rowland said Wednesday during a ceremony at Mills Anderson Justice Center on the MSSU campus. "They can serve the community the same way (Cooper and Reed) did."
Bright Futures Joplin, the donating organization, presented a $7,170 check to the Missouri Southern Foundation for creating the two scholarships. The money for the scholarships came from an event that usually directs funds in the other direction. The annual Guns 'n' Hoses basketball game pits police officers against firefighters to benefit Bright Futures, a group that invests in students.
Over the last five years, the game has raised more than $50,000, said Larry Warren, president of Bright Futures Joplin.
"They are always right there, ready to help whenever we ask," Warren said. "Because of the incidents (on March 8), we wanted to do something to give back, for all the officers who helped raise this money."
The scholarship fund will be helpful for both students and the department.
MSSU's program graduates about 50 police officers a year as well as 70 to 90 academic students. Those numbers could be higher, but about half of the students who either drop out or don't complete a degree cite finances as the main problem.
"Whether they don't have the funds to pay for courses, or they can't attend the courses they need because they have to work, the financial aspect is difficult for them," Wilson said.
Rowland said the scholarships help them provide incentive for programs that recruit and bolster student interest. The department runs Explorers, a weekly course for students interested in law enforcement.
Officer recruitment and retention is a national problem, but the scholarships are a local solution, Rowland said.
"Money goes further in small communities like Joplin," Rowland said. "Missouri Southern has phenomenal classes, so these are huge, especially for students getting a start and needing a boost to really get going."
In addition to officials with the police department, school district, university and Bright Futures, Wednesday's ceremony was attended by family members, including Roxy Cooper and Bayley Reed, wives of the two fallen officers.
Cooper said the scholarships being named for the two officers carried a tremendous amount of meaning.
"It's carrying on the legacy," Cooper said. "Both of them lived and died for this profession, and were outstanding officers. If it draws students to follow their examples, that means so much."
