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Terra Success Stories

Success Story - Monte Huss

When Terra Technical College officials developed a law enforcement program in the early 1970s, their ideal end result would be someone like Monte Huss.

Huss recently retired as chief of the Fremont Police Department after 35 years in law enforcement. His rise through the ranks to the top spot is what Terra Community College hopes other graduates of the program today can mirror.

While working at a foundry shortly after graduating from Clyde High School in 1971, Huss learned of the program and decided to pursue an interest he always had. As a member of the first law enforcement class at Terra, he graduated in 1974 with cum laude honors.

Huss began his career at the Sandusky County Sheriffs Office as a dispatcher. A year later, he joined the Fremont Police Department as a patrol officer. From there, Huss progressed to detective sergeant, patrol captain and eventually chief of police.

Terra helped prepare him for his career in a variety of ways.

Training in collection of evidence, photography, law procedures and networking with active officers, he listed.

He also is a graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia. FBI Academy students are nominated by the local FBI to attend the three-month training session. The program includes coursework in law, forensics and leadership and qualifies for college credit through the University of Virginia.

We had 248 students including nearly 50 from other countries, he said.

Huss has also attended Police Executive Leadership College (PELC) which is an extensive three-month training for police executives sponsored by the Law Enforcement Foundation of the Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police.

Since 1984, he has shared his knowledge as an adjunct instructor for the Terra Police Academy.

He is proud to be a member of the Vanguard Vocational Hall of Fame and is very active with Teens Encounter Christ, the local retreat program for high school juniors and seniors.

Huss and his wife of 35 years, Karla, have three children. Son, Adam, is in the United States Marine Corps; daughter Sarah Simon is an occupational therapist; and daughter Erin Gomez is an instructor at Davis Business College.

As far as others pursuing a career in law enforcement, Huss has some simple advice.

Obtain as much practical experience as possible, he said.