Lake Havasu City Police Chief started law enforcement journey at MCC

Lake Havasu City Police Department Chief Troy Stirling earned his Associate of Arts in Administration of Justice.

MOHAVE COUNTY – Police Chief Troy Stirling took over the reins of the Lake Havasu City Police Department less than a year ago and he credits Mohave Community College for helping him get started on his career path.

After Chief Stirling graduated from Lake Havasu High School he knew college was the next step in his journey. He enrolled at MCC, but like many college students wasn’t sure what career he wanted to pursue. While taking his College classes he thought he wanted to be an accountant or perhaps a teacher, maybe a firefighter, and then his passion and purpose started to take hold.

“I finished my core classes at MCC and at that time I realized I always wanted to be a police officer, but just thought I wanted to do something different,” Chief Stirling said. “Ultimately, I reverted back to wanting to become a police officer because growing up my grandfather was part of California Highway Patrol.”

He started his law enforcement journey when he joined MCC’s Police Reserve Academy where those interested in becoming officers were sponsored by a local law enforcement agency to go through training and earn a certification to become a police officer.

Starting at MCC, Stirling was able to maintain a job and attend classes. He also enjoyed attending the College because it was in his hometown.

“MCC was easy and readily available because I was able to fit school into my schedule without it affecting my work schedule, having that flexibility was huge for me,” he said.  

After the academy, he got is foot in the door at the Kingman detention center, then he became a deputy with the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office. In the profession he has earned the title of detective, sergeant, lieutenant and captain.

After MCC, he continued his education at Herzing University and earned his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice with a concentration in supervision and leadership. Eventually he knew he wanted to become a police chief and had to obtain a masters degree to compete with his peers. In 2021 he earned his Master’s in Public Administration and in November of 2022 was named Lake Havasu City Police Chief.

He spends his free time with his family, enjoying the outdoors and a good game of pickleball. To learn more about MCC’s Administration of Justice program, visit Mohave.edu/AdminJustice.