Legleiter Receives Medal of Valor

The Arkansas City Police Department has awarded Lieutenant Detective Jason Legleiter the Medal of Valor, the highest recognition bestowed upon a department member, for his bravery and commitment to public safety during an April 22, 2023, incident.

Police Chief Jim Holloway presented Lt. Det. Legleiter the Medal of Valor during the March 19 City Commission meeting. The award stems from a disturbance in the 1300 block of North A Street.

The situation began on 111th Road and 72nd Road and included two females. One female exited the vehicle and shot a vehicle behind them. No one was injured in the incident. The two females then sped away in their vehicle and later parked at a residence on the 1300 block of North A Street.

"Lt. Det. Legleiter arrived first on the scene. He quickly located a female armed with a pistol, a machete, and, at one point, a hammer. Lt. Det. Legleiter approached her and initiated a conversation to resolve this volatile situation quickly and peacefully. The female was swinging the weapons around and making various threats as she pointed the pistol at Lt. Det. Legleiter," Holloway said. "Lt. Det. Legleiter later stated that he felt he was going to be shot or would have been forced to shoot the female, but he stood firm and attempted to talk her down."

When it became clear that Lt. Det. Legleiter could not resolve the situation on the first interaction, he disengaged from the conversation with the female. He then coordinated with arriving officers to ensure a solid perimeter was set up to keep officers and the public safe.

Holloway credited Lt. Det. Legleiter's quick and informed decisions and the assistance of many department members and officers from other agencies with ensuring that both females involved in the incident were successfully taken into custody and that no one was harmed.

"On behalf of the Arkansas City Police Department, I sincerely thank Lt. Det. Jason Legleiter. We owe him a debt of gratitude for his courageous and outstanding bravery in serving the citizens of Arkansas City," Holloway said.