Alumni Highlights – Gregory Stout

Central highlights Criminal Justice Alumni Gregory Stout. He is an Assistant Special Agent in Charge at the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Office of Justice Services.

At Central, we aspire to provide a very flexible platform to our online adult students.  How were you able to complete coursework, receive instruction, and complete all other program requirements while working a full-time job in law enforcement?

I enrolled at CCCK after a 10-year hiatus from college while working as a full-time Special Agent on an Indian reservation which spanned 2.3 million acres across North and South Dakota. I began with a couple entry level courses and was able to utilize student resources to improve my academic writing and figure out how to create time in my schedule to study and complete coursework. The mobility of the program was truly what allowed me to be successful in the program. The work assignment often had me driving 3 to 4 hours to a scene. I often found myself playing instructional videos in my work vehicle while traveling for work to keep up with course material or logging into the student portal to respond to a classmate’s post from my cell phone while waiting for an oil change or eating lunch . While in the program, I completed coursework in 14 different states traveling for case work and responding to natural disasters.

How has your experience at Central prepared you for a more advanced career in law enforcement?

CCCK allowed me to obtain the background to more thoroughly understand the practical application of the facets of law enforcement. The program provided an understanding into social determinants of health and how it may affect recidivism in urban and rural settings. It also improved my writing, research, and speaking skills while presenting in-depth cases, communicating with individuals involved in cases or calls for service, and presenting in a court setting. The culmination of the above was also effective in gaining knowledge to deal directly with local leaders and employees as a supervisor.

In your current role, what would you communicate to prospective students about the joys and passions in your field of criminal justice?

I am a people person and law enforcement provided a career to use my skills and help others. Prior to becoming a supervisor, I enjoyed making a difference for individuals and the community as a whole. Law enforcement provided an avenue to prevent serious incidents and help the community build a brighter future through interpersonal relationships. Being a special agent allowed an avenue to protect and speak for those who could not for themselves. As a supervisor the continued relationships help support the employees in the field and help bridge the gap between law enforcement and the communities they serve.

Provide us a summary of your life and career.

I grew up on a ranch near Inola, Oklahoma where I graduated high school. After high school, I took some classes at a local community college in Tulsa, Oklahoma before entering the military. When I returned home, I really had no idea what to do, but I found a job and started working for a local municipal police department as a Corrections Officer where I realized I wanted to pursue a career in law enforcement. The first place I applied was the Bureau of Indian Affairs, where I still work. I began my patrol career in 2012 in Northcentral Oklahoma after attending the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Office of Justice Services (OJS) Indian Police Academy at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) in Artesia, New Mexico. I promoted to a Special Agent position in South Dakota and attended the Criminal Investigator Training Program at FLETC in Brunswick, Georgia in 2015. My career as a Special Agent has mostly consisted of working major violent crimes, but also encompassed financial, theft, and drug crimes on Indian Reservations in violation Tribal, State, and Federal laws.

My time as a special agent brought a breadth of experience from performing temporary duty assignments in other areas, while working closely with Tribal, State, other Federal law enforcement agencies and court systems in those areas. In one of my assignments, I performed duties as the acting Chief of Police of the largest direct service agency in the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from CCCK in April 2020 and entered the Master of Business Administration program at Pittsburg State University in August 2020. In July 2021, I promoted to my current position as Assistant Special Agent in Charge of District 5 of the BIA OJS Field Operations Division in Billings, Montana which covers Montana and Wyoming. The District 5 Office supervises direct service Federal law enforcement, corrections, and criminal investigations. The District 5 Office also provides technical assistance to Tribal law enforcement agencies and provides program monitoring of Public Law 93-638 law enforcement contracts. While working full-time and supervising the aforementioned, I graduated from Pittsburg State University in December 2022 with a Master of Business Administration; Human Resources and International Business.

I have a wife, two daughters, and an English Bulldog named Larry who keeps me busy at home. When not working, you can find me at the gym, church, outdoors, or driving my family around in our 1968 GTO. As a family, we model our lives after the Core 4 to keep us healthy, productive, and our lives centered.

What would you say to prospective students who are interested in an advanced career in law enforcement and how would you communicate Central as a good fit?

The small classes allow for more one on one teacher-student interaction. Most of the instructors were former or current law enforcement which fostered the student-teacher connection. The instructors’ consistent participation in the discussion boards generated deeper conversation through their law enforcement experiences to provide a different way of looking at certain topics. The mobility of the program was truly what allowed me to be successful and remain in the program to obtain the additional knowledge and skills to take my career to the next step. The criminal justice program allowed me to dig deeper into the profession and build upon previous knowledge and experience. The academic research during the program provided a more thorough understanding of the history of policing and modern law enforcement methods and applications which were able to be used immediately on the job in some instances.

About Central Christian College of Kansas

Central Christian College of Kansas is a regionally accredited institution offering undergraduate and graduate-level programs. Central strives to offer Christ-centered education for the whole person – heart, mind, soul, and strength. Its history dates back to 1884, and it is located in the friendly town of McPherson, Kansas. Central is a strategically small college that offers over forty areas of residential study and a thriving online program for non-traditional students. To learn more about who Central is go to centralchristian.edu/about. Visit the Foundation of Central Christian College to see what projects and events are coming up.