Black River Technical College’s (BRTC) Law Enforcement Training Academy (LETA) Director Jared Bassham is pleased to announce the keynote speaker for the Spring 2025-A LETA graduation will be Deputy United States Marshall Ben Runnels.
Runnels began is law enforcement career in 2006 with the Jonesboro Police Department and graduated from the BRTC LETA 2006-B class. He was deployed to Iraq in 2007 as an infantryman and is a U.S. Marine veteran who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. In 2011, Runnels transitioned to BRTC’s LETA as a full-time instructor. Runnels was hired by the United States Marshals Service in 2016 and successfully completed the 21-week U.S. Marshals Academy in Glynco, Georgia.
Runnels holds two associate degrees from BRTC. He also holds several degrees from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, including a Bachelors in Psychology and a Masters of Public Administration. Runnels is currently assigned to the Western District of Tennessee where he lives with his wife Kimberly and their two daughters.
The BRTC LETA Spring 2025-A graduation will be held on Thursday, April 10 at 6:30 p.m. in the Randolph County Development Center (RCDC) on the BRTC Pocahontas campus. Graduation is open to the public and will be livestreamed on LETA’s Facebook page.
For more information about the BRTC Law Enforcement Training Academy contact Director Jared Bassham at (870) 248-4190, or email jared.bassham@blackrivertech.edu.