Wallace receives Community Cornerstone Award

CornerBank has announced Sean Wallace is the Community Cornerstone Award recipient for May. In recognition of his service, CornerBank will contribute $100 to the non-profit organization of Sean’s choice. Sean has selected the Fellowship of Christian Peace Officers to receive his contribution. A reception honoring Sean’s service will be at 3:30 p.m., Thursday, May 27, in the CornerBank community room, 125 N. Summit. The public is invited to attend the reception.

Wallace may be best known as Chief of Police with the Arkansas City Police Department (ACPD), but his service extends well beyond his position. He has touched the lives of many youth as part of the foster parent program for 27 years. He has assisted with numerous youth activities, including Sunday school, youth groups Vacation Bible School and AWANAs, in various churches during the past 30 years.

He is a member of Rotary International and will serve as president of the Arkansas City chapter for 2010-11. He is a member of the First Baptist Church, Kansas Association of Chiefs of Police, Fellowship of Christian Peace Officers, Southern Kansas/Northern Oklahoma Peace Officers Association, Kansas Peace Officers Association, FBINAA Kansas/Missouri chapter and International Association of Chiefs of Police. He served as president of Fellowship of Christian Peace Officers from 2003 to 2005.

Sean received the Optimist Club Law Enforcement Officer of the Year award in 2009 and the Salvation Army Community Servant Award in 2008. ACPD has decorated Sean for his crime prevention, investigative and administrative accomplishments. He also has been decorated by outside agencies, including USD 470, National Association of Town Watches, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Kansas Association of Chiefs of Police and the Attorney General of Kansas.

Sean has been in law enforcement since 1985, serving six years with the Sedgwick Co. Sheriff’s Office and 15 years with the ACPD. During his career, Sean has served in a wide variety of assignments including watch commander, patrol sergeant, detective sergeant, fugitive warrant division, community policing, patrol officer, Spanish interpreter and detention officer. He has served as an adjunct professor in the Criminal Justice Department at Wichita State University and is currently a criminal justice instructor for University of Phoenix. He teaches a misdemeanor offender class for 19th Judicial District using a curriculum he authored. Sean teaches Power Spanish for Law Enforcement and Corrections for Rochester Community and Technical College in Rochester, Minnesota, annually since 1998. He also has taught Occupational Spanish as Cowley College for several years.

He earned both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in criminal justice from Wichita State University. He is a graduate of the Kansas Police Administrator’s Seminar, the FBI’s Law Enforcement Executive Development Seminar, Northwestern University’s Senior Management Leadership Seminar and the FBI National Academy Session 222.

Sean studied Spanish at WSU and did field study in Spanish in Mexico and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He was the Hispanic Liaison and interpreter for Narrow Door Ministries
in Wichita.

Sean and his wife, Robin, have been married 25 years and have four grown sons.

Sean was selected for the award by the Community Cornerstone Award selection committee, which includes Arleta Rice, Judy Reedy, Karl Faidley, Dolly Bonfy, Curt Freeland and Brenda Combs. All are previous recipients of the Cornerstone Award. Volunteers are the cornerstones of healthy communities. They’re on your corner – the people next door. They’re in your corner – helping make our community stronger. The Community Cornerstone Award recognizes the time and effort of volunteers dedicated to serving people and enhancing the quality of life in Cowley County. If you know of a Cowley County resident who has shown servant leadership in community service, contact Joyce McArtor at 442-6500 or joycem@cornerbank.com for nomination guidelines.

Make a nomination via PDF.