For Heleyna Brinegar, joining the Ho-Chunk Police Department is quite an accomplishment. But in order for her to do so, she had to have the correct training.
Making that possible, Heleyna attend the Law Enforcement Academy at Western Technical College in Sparta.
Helenya graduated on Friday, May 13, during a graduation ceremony at Western Technical College, one of 18 graduates.
“I decided to become a law enforcement officer because it’s something I’ve always wanted to do since I was in grade school. I’ve always liked being a helping hand,” Heleyna said. “Being a law enforcement officer I have the potential to help those who can't help themselves, or maybe influence the lives of those who are starting on the wrong path, but could be saved from it.”

Much of what she has become is because of her upbringing, which she attributes to her parents and brothers and sisters.

“My childhood was pretty awesome. I was raised in a house with two parents, Darren and Maria, along with seven other siblings. By seven o-clock, all 10 of us would sit at the dinner table and eat dinner together. That was my favorite part of the day,” she said. “We always did everything as a family, very seldom were we apart. My dad worked while my mom was a stay-at-home mom.”

Heleyna has an older sister, Mycaela; two younger brothers, Imanuel and Trestian; and three younger sisters, Gaby, Reyna and Lorena.

She is a 2013 graduate of Lincoln High School in Wisconsin Rapids.

Her parents did, and still do, everything they can for all of them, she said. From school sports to just needing someone to talk to, her parents were always there.

“I wasn’t raised around alcohol or drugs - my parents kept us away from that kind of stuff. When I was younger I wanted to enlist in the Navy and make a career of that, time went by and it didn’t work out. I was looking through the job postings and seen an opening for a law enforcement officer so I put in an application,” Heleyna said.

She started the Law Enforcement Academy in February and graduated in May. The best part of academy was making new friends and the learning experiences, she said. One of the toughest parts was all the different testing.

Heleyna has only been on the job for two weeks, but she can already tell that the best part of her job is being able to help people in our communities.