Horses Help Develop Commander-Level Leadership Skills

Chief Halsey attended the Kansas City Regional Police Academy, earning the Director’s Award for Best Overall Training Performance. He was hired by the Independence Police Department and was assigned to the patrol division on November 24th, 1992. In April of 1995, he was assigned to the Investigations unit as a detective and then was transferred to Special Operations in October of 1996, serving in the Drug Enforcement Unit.

Chief Halsey was promoted to Sergeant in July of 2000 and served in the Patrol Division until he was promoted to Captain in May of 2004. He served as a Patrol commander until he was transferred to Special Operations in March of 2006.

In October of 2007, Chief Halsey was promoted to Major and put in charge of the Patrol Division. In September of 2009, he was transferred to the Administrative Division until he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in March of 2010. There he served as Deputy Chief over the Operations Support Bureau until April of 2013. He was then transferred to the Field Operations Bureau until he was transferred back to Operations Support in February of 2016. On June 21st, 2016 Halsey became the Chief of Police for the Independence Missouri Police Department.

Chief Halsey’s career has included serving on the special response team, on the entry team and as a sniper, as an operator, supervisor and commander. He has worked in both Gang and Arson Investigations as well as the Fugitive Task Force with the U.S. Marshalls.

He has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice from Central Missouri State University and later a Master’s Degree from the Naval Post-Graduate School. Chief Halsey is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the Missouri Police Chief’s Association, and the Metropolitan Chiefs & Sheriffs Association, among others.

Pamela Waldeck began her career with Kansas City, Kansas Police Department in 1997, after attending Kansas State University. She has held several positions with the Department including: Patrol, Research and Development, Narcotic Investigations Federally assigned Task Force Officer, Child Abuse Investigations, the Internal Affairs Unit, and the Chief’s Office. As a Detective Pamela Waldeck was the first KCKPD Peer Support Coordinator and is now a member of the Command Level Peer Support Team. Waldeck was promoted to the rank of Deputy Chief in March of 2019 and is currently the Director of the Bureau of Operations. Pam holds a Bachelor of Science in Sociology/Criminology from Kansas State University and a Masters of Arts in Organizational Leadership from Baker University, additionally she completed the Police Executive Leadership Forum’s, Senior Management Institute for Police in 2017.

Dr. Jennifer Prohaska is a licensed clinical psychologist in Kansas City with a doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of Kansas. Her residency training was completed at the University of Kansas Medical Center where she specialized in critical and intensive care services for the Trauma Units, Medical Rehabilitation, Burn Units, and Traumatic Brain Injury and Spinal Cord Injury. Since 2013 she has specialized exclusively in the evaluation and treatment of first responders from approximately 54 agencies across the Midwest. Her work primarily centers around evaluation and treatment planning, while still providing individual psychotherapy on occasion. She is one of only approximately a dozen Psychologists whom have completed Force Science Certification, and specializes in Officer Involved Shootings and other critical incidents that fall outside of the scope of normal first responder daily activities. Dr. Prohaska has sub-specialty training working with individuals with major medical repercussions from their duties, particularly Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), burn, and spinal cord injury. She is well versed in the primary methods of treating trauma including Cognitive Processing Therapy/Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CPT/CBT), Prolonged Exposure (PE), and also the utilization of Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR). Dr. Prohaska believes in scientifically validated treatment methods, and integrating care with other health care specialty providers.

Jason Klepac Director of First Responder program Jason Klepac is the Director of the Tactical Longevity program at War Horses for Veterans. The program was launched in May of 2020 and is designed to equip first responders with skills for success, leadership development, and personal growth through horsemanship. Jason spent 10 years in the US Army and served 17 years in law enforcement. During his time in the US Army he was certified as a heavy diesel mechanic as well as a military police officer. As a civilian police officer, Jason served in various rolls including, patrolman, traffic accident reconstructionist, motor officer/instructor, SWAT team member, and field training officer. Throughout his military and law enforcement career, Jason has gained firsthand knowledge of the burden placed on officers throughout their career, both physically and mentally. This knowledge inspired him to create a program which not only causes them to be aware of their personal well-being, but also helps first responders stay in the job longer. He has been married to his wife Shannon for 21 years and has three daughters. Horses have always been a part of his life since an early age and has a deep understanding of the horse/human connection.