The Arkansas City Police Department awarded Lieutenant Detective Jason Legleiter the Medal of Valor — the highest recognition bestowed upon a department member — during Tuesday’s City Commission meeting.
The award stems from a disturbance in the 1300 block of North A Street on April 22, 2023.
According to a news release Wednesday from the ACPD, the situation began on 111th Road and 72nd Road that involved 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,” Ark City Police Chief Jim Holloway said. “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.
“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.”
The ACPD said when it became clear that 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 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,” Holloway said. “We owe him a debt of gratitude for his courageous and outstanding bravery in serving the citizens of Arkansas City.”