Personal and departmental benefits of continuing education: the FBI National Academy experience.

Why would experienced, high-ranking law enforcement officers leave their jobs, families, and the communities they serve to spend 10 weeks in a remote, Spartan environment that offers mental, emotional, and physical challenges that many may not have faced in some time? What benefits would such an experience hold for command-level personnel who have endured the rigors and inherent dangers of their profession? What can they bring back to their agencies that can enhance the service they provide to their communities? Do the advantages of such continuing education outweigh the potential difficulties associated with leaders absent from their posts for nearly 3 months?

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The need to remain abreast of innovations in their profession prompts executives to seek opportunities for advanced training. Many effective continuing education programs exist for members of the law enforcement community. The FBI has offered one for the past 70 years, which began small but developed into a highly regarded management training tool.

OVERVIEW OF PROGRAM

Director J. Edgar Hoover started the FBI National Academy to increase the professionalism and training of local law enforcement officers nationwide in response to growing problems faced throughout the country. Founded on July 29, 1935, with 23 students in attendance, the National Academy (NA) currently provides a wide range of leadership and specialized training, as well as an opportunity for professionals to discuss ideas, techniques, and experiences.

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Officers attending the NA share the facilities of the FBI Academy with FBI agent trainees, in-service students, and academy faculty and staff. (1) In addition, the DEA houses its academy nearby and uses many of the same amenities. As with other institutions of higher learning, the NA lodges students in dormitory rooms and provides them with a wide array of services, including a dining hall, library, pool, television rooms, computer labs, and shopping areas.

Selection Process

How do law enforcement officers get selected to attend the NA? First, they must be--

* nominated by the heads of their agencies;

* at least 25 years of age;

* duly sworn officers in federal, state, or local law enforcement agencies;

* within a certain height-weight standard;

* mentally and physically capable of performance;

* at least the rank of lieutenant (or equivalent); and

* willing to remain in the field of law enforcement for at least 3 additional years.

For heads of agencies, their governing bodies or officials must nominate them. A city council member, mayor, or city manager would select a chief of police, whereas a county commissioner or similarly appointed official would choose a sheriff.

Next, agencies obtain official applications from their local FBI offices. Nominees must complete the extensive forms and have them signed by their chief executives. Then, they return them to the FBI, which checks the applications for completeness and places the candidates' names on a waiting list.

When openings occur, the FBI informs applicants of their selection to attend the academy, pending results of a thorough background investigation and physical examination to determine their ability to perform strenuous physical activity. Upon completion of these two phases, the NA schedules the candidates for an upcoming session. The entire process can take as much as a year to complete.

Academy Training

Once selected to attend the NA, applicants receive a lengthy list of available classes. With the exception of physical training, the University of Virginia accredits all courses and awards college credit to students who successfully complete them. For certain classes, the university bestows graduate level credit for officers with bachelor's degrees.

Students must attend one class in legal matters (except foreign students), behavioral science, law enforcement communication, leadership, forensic science, and physical training (a noncredit course) and can earn up to 19 credit hours. While numerous courses are available in each of these subjects (except physical training), students may select only one class per area. The program also offers other noncredit courses. In addition, the NA hosts a weekly Enrichment Night wherein a variety of speakers give presentations on various law enforcement-related topics, such as risk management, cults, and terrorism.

Monday through Friday, students attend classes, set in 2-hour blocks. They must wear mandatory dress uniforms, consisting of color-coordinated shirts and khaki pants, during business hours on weekdays, even when not in class. FBI agent trainees wear similar uniforms.

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In addition to physical training classes, students are encouraged to participate in the FBI Fitness Challenge, a set of increasingly difficult and demanding physical endurance events. (2) Weekly sessions, named after characters or objects in The Wizard of Oz, start with a 1.8-mile run called Not in Kansas Anymore and end with the Yellow Brick Road, a 6.1-mile run and obstacle course. All students who complete the Fitness Challenge receive a yellow brick, which some alumni list as a valued memento.

Besides providing a variety of courses, the NA also broadens the experience with several group outings, such as visits to national landmarks in Washington D.C., and nearby police departments. The International Night allows foreign attendees to showcase their homelands. Often, these students dress in traditional attire, prepare native food and drink, and invite foreign delegates currently in the United States to help educate their classmates about their countries.

Students receive all of this training at no cost to their agencies. The sponsoring department only has to continue paying the salary of the officer attending. The NA provides the funds for housing, dining, and travel. Students or their sponsoring agencies only have to cover personal expenses and the price of uniforms.

Alumni Association 

All NA graduates can join the FBI National Academy Associates, a professional, worldwide organization. These alumni continue to provide localized training and, once a year, host a national conference. Members exert considerable professional influence as leaders in organizations, such as the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the National Sheriff's Association, the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Officers, the International Association of Women in Policing, and the National Association of State Directors of Law Enforcement. One of every five active-duty graduates now heads a law enforcement agency, and most alumni participate in the training-oriented organization.

ATTENDANCE BENEFITS

What are the personal and professional benefits of attending the NA? While most would agree with the immediate answer of improving law enforcement standards, knowledge, and cooperation throughout the world, the author decided to ask his fellow graduates what they specifically considered as the major personal and departmental benefits of participating in the program. (3)

For him, networking represented the greatest personal benefit. After all, as public servants, officers may strive to perform their duties better or provide superior service, but they do not compete for a market of customers. Therefore, they share their ideas freely and look to others for new ones.

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Personal Benefits

The author received a diverse range of responses to the question of personal benefits of attending the NA. However, networking--the ability to reach out and contact officers from different departments throughout the world--ranked the highest. Time away from homes, families, and the rigors of work and daily life also represented important parts of the experiences of many graduates. They formed friendships, found new ideas for work, changed their lifestyles and attitudes, advanced their careers, and improved their academic standings. Many, subjected to diverse cultures different from their own, came away with a better understanding of the challenges facing all members of the law enforcement profession, regardless of their jurisdictions.

Networking

Aligning themselves with other professionals throughout the world who share the same profession proved an immense benefit. As one graduate explained, "From an administrative perspective, the value in sending other command officers to the academy is to broaden their understanding of law enforcement from a national point of view to make them realize that most of the problems they face have been faced by others who probably came up with some sort of good way to address it." For example, if a department is considering implementing a new procedure or looking for equipment to help in records management, no doubt one of the many active or retired NA alumni has "been there, done that." If officers need directions to a state laboratory or training location, no doubt nearby graduates can help. Often, they open their own homes to others based simply on the fact that the requestor is a fellow graduate. As an alumnus said, "There is an unwritten trust between National Academy brethren that can't be matched by any other organization." Another summed up his experience as "breakfast with an officer from China, lunch with an officer from Korea, and dinner with an officer from England--in other words, the extension of contacts all over the world."

Lifestyle Changes

This category revealed the depth that many graduates went to in explaining their feelings about the NA experience and how it enriched their lives. One said, "The opportunity to take 3 months, get away from everything, and be able to think and self-reflect was key." He committed himself to several goals while away, such as getting into a physical fitness routine and reflecting on his family and work. He felt that the time away made him a better administrator, a better person, and a better husband and father. Another alumnus stated, "My family life has become better on all different levels. I learned to communicate with my wife, she learned how to become more independent, and my kids learned to appreciate their father a little more."

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Academic Fulfillment

One graduate indicated that after attending the NA, his personal goal of completing college became key to him. He felt that it was this experience that enabled him not only to finish his bachelor's degree but to obtain his master's and doctorate as well. He now teaches as a visiting assistant professor in addition to his duties as an assistant chief of police.

Career Enhancement

While most alumni did not list this as one of the more rewarding benefits from attending, they did acknowledge that graduating from the NA helps a law enforcement officer's career. One said, "Most city managers will not even consider chief candidates unless they have been to the National Academy." While this statement would not apply in all cases, a quick look at police executive employment Web sites or advertisements in professional journals will show the importance of obtaining advanced training for law enforcement managers.

Departmental Benefits

As with the personal benefits, the author found networking the most substantial benefit to the agency as well. Many of the NA alumni reported that when their departments needed assistance from an outside agency, a call to a fellow graduate in that or a nearby department made the difference. Knowing officers from different countries or agencies or those with specific abilities often proved helpful as well.

Return Investment

Many NA graduates commented on the benefits their agencies received from the training they brought back. One said, "I know that my staff will have the benefit of police management education that is unequaled and doesn't cost the city much money." Another remarked, "Staff officers return with a new enthusiasm for their career, are dedicated to a life of physical fitness, and have many new tools in their tool boxes." He added that graduates become role models for younger employees and more aware of the "big picture" of law enforcement worldwide.

Focus on Training

"It is probably the only time that law enforcement agencies can send managers away for training and let them have time to focus solely on training," said one graduate. This statement revealed a unique aspect of the program, which stresses to sponsoring agencies that attending officers must remain free of responsibilities while at the academy so they can immerse themselves in their studies. Even their families know and respect this request. For many alumni, the NA constituted the one time in their professional lives when they truly left the work behind and concentrated on learning.

CONCLUSION

The FBI National Academy offers advanced training in senior law enforcement management. Departments send their officers for a variety of reasons. Perhaps, they seek an outlet for networking with other agencies. Maybe, they want to reward officers for years of excellent service. Or, possibly, their personnel need enhanced training provided only by the academy that they could bring back and share with others.

Officers go to the academy with their own expectations of what it will do for them. Maybe, they hope to become better-equipped managers and learn diverse solutions to common problems. Or, perhaps, they want to enhance their resumes.

No matter the reasons, both the departments and the officers will reap benefits that may occur immediately or not come to fruition until years later. By continuing to enhance their knowledge, skills, and abilities, law enforcement officers and their agencies can improve service to their communities and remain a bulwark against the increasing threat to the safety and security of this country.

The author gratefully acknowledges the help that his fellow graduates of the FBI National Academy gave him in the preparation of this article. In particular, he thanks Lance Burris, Jeffery Butters, Don Raley, Dick Schurman, John Summers, Ronald Thrasher, and Bill Wilmot.

Endnotes

(1) For additional information on the FBI Academy, see Julie R. Linkins, "FBI Academy: 25 Years of Law Enforcement Leadership," FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, May 1997, 1-12.

(2) For additional information on the FBI Fitness Challenge, see Patti Ebling, "Physical Fitness in Law Enforcement: Follow the Yellow Brick Road," FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, October 2002, 1-5.

(3) The author, a graduate of the 212th Session of the FBI National Academy, queried his fellow NA graduates via e-mail and received numerous responses. He included some in this article to illustrate how the majority of respondents answered his questions about the benefits of attending the NA.

Captain Lane serves with the Kansas State University Police Department in Manhattan.