Although ISU Police are prohibited from carrying firearms, one officer recently received an award for being the best marksman in his Iowa Law Enforcement Academy class.

ISU Police officer Reid Lander received the Stark Award after missing only two out of 1,350 points on a shooting test that measures range performance from various distances and times of day. The test combines scores officers receive from handgun, shotgun, night and day exercises.

Lander graduated from the 13-week basic law enforcement training at Camp Dodge in Johnston Dec. 20.

Lander is one of only a few officers within the department to have received this award.

“It’s a very high standard,” said ISU Police Capt. Gene Deisinger. “For him to [win the award] shows a lot of initiative and dedication.”

Lander said he has had a lot of practice shooting during the past few years.

“My grandpa taught me to how to shoot a BB gun,” Lander said. “I just grew up shooting.”

Lander said the award was an honor for him, but it was also significant because of another tie to ISU Police.

The Stark Award is named after former Story County Sheriff John P. Stark. Stark was sheriff from 1972 to 1992. He was also on the academy council and gave many officers their certification. The award was originally called the Top Shooter Award, but was renamed after Stark in 1993.

Stark’s daughter, Pauline Rentschler, is the lead dispatcher for the Department of Public Safety.

“Really, it was an honor for me to bring [the award] back to her,” Lander said.

Rentschler said it meant a lot to her to have an officer from the department win the award.

“Quite frankly, I’ve kind of challenged every officer in the department to win that award,” Rentschler said.

Although some other officers have been close, Lander is the first to win since the award was renamed.

“Pretty much whatever he sets his mind to do, he succeeds to do,” she said.

Although ISU Police officers go through the same training as any other police department in Iowa, the officers at ISU Police do not carry firearms. Deisinger said of the universities that have their own police department, there are only three unarmed university police forces in the country.

ISU Police officers carry batons and Tasers, which are stun guns, but are prohibited by the Board of Regents from carrying firearms.

Regent David Fisher, from West Des Moines, said the board makes the decisions about what officers are allowed to carry based on recommendations from the administration on each campus. ISU administrators felt it would be most appropriate not to allow firearms, he said.

Lander said it is frustrating being given an award for his firearms skill and then being prohibited from carrying a firearm, but he enjoys being an ISU Police officer.

“I love the department,” Lander said. “Iowa State is a great place. I went to school here.”

He said although he cannot carry a firearm for his job, he will continue to practice at shooting ranges.

“It helps me relax,” Lander said. “I am always striving to improve.”