Keith Wenzel

In 1974, at the age of 17, Keith Wenzel enlisted in the U.S. Marines. After being Honorably Discharged as a sergeant, Keith continued in the path of community service. From 1978 until 1982, he was a patrol officer for the Irving Texas Police Department. The lure of working for a large metropolitan police department with greater opportunities and challenges drew him to the Dallas Police Department.

As a Dallas officer, his assignments included patrol, field training officer, covert, and the highly regarded SWAT team. Between work and family, which then included three sons, Keith graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Dallas Baptist University. In 1993 after 5 years as a SWAT officer, Keith was promoted to the rank of sergeant. Utilizing Marine Corp leadership principles and applying them to police supervision enabled Keith to effectively lead and manage officers in various assignments including patrol, deployment, and the police academy. With the exception of a two-year assignment as the in-service training supervisor, Keith’s entire law enforcement experience has been street assignments. Working at five of the seven patrol districts, his experience is as diverse as the City of Dallas. As a patrol sergeant, Keith was honored with the peer nominated and highly esteemed “Cops Cop” award.

As an instructor, Keith was instrumental in developing new and innovative training for his 3500 member department in areas of vehicle operations, use of force, leadership, reality based training and officer safety.

Keith Wenzel brings to SAFETAC Training his vast amount of personal experiences with his understanding of relationships and the importance of connecting with others. His ability to educate and entertain through high-energy programs that are well-researched and relevant to modern policing trends provide dynamic training toward keeping “names off the memorial wall.”

Keith is a sought-after speaker and is considered a subject matter expert in police driving, officer safety and risk management.

Keith has presented for the California POST, Arizona POST, FLETC, and various agencies, organizations, and business groups. As a result of presenting at the FLETC Distracted Driving Symposium in 2012, he was made an Honorary FLETC Instructor.