FBI NA #256-Week 2 (Challenge 1)

FBI NA #256-Week 2 (Challenge 1)

 

During the Academy, a 10 week challenge called the Yellow Brick Road is the most coveted achievement while attending the FBI NA. The Fit Challenge consists of 8 events to include the final event as the actual Yellow Brick Road (6.1 Run/Obstacle Course). Today's challenge was called the Tin Man Trot which consisted of a 1.71 mile run around the academy campus. It occurred in 12 degree weather with snow on the ground.
 


Warm up in the Gym



Todd, Mike, Pat Mays (OHP), and me

 



FBI NA #256-Week 2

Week 2 began with a continuation of going to classes and starting a routine after the initial week closed out. I am enrolled in 18 Semester hours of coursework taught by Supervisory Special Agents who are also adjunct teachers with the University of Virginia. All of our coursework is accredited through the university. When I was accepted to the academy, I had a choice of undergraduate or graduate classes. Since I had already finished my graduate degree in 2011 at University of Central Oklahoma, I decided the course work here would not really be put toward anything. I later discovered after researching on another NA graduate's blog that being enrolled in at least 18 graduate hours would generate a Graduate Certificate in Criminal Justice Education through University of Virginia. So I took the challenge, knowing a successful outcome would be beneficial to my career. This whole experience will be beneficial to my career. Below are the courses I am taking:

1. Legal Issues for Command Officers
2. Fitness in Law Enforcement
3. Contemporary Issues in Law Enforcement
4. Advanced Computer Crimes for Police Supervisors
5. Seminar in Investigative Interviewing

On Wednesday night, our academy class was escorted by Washington DC police to the National Law Enforcement Memorial where a small ceremony took place sponsored by the FBI Academy. This trip was the first for many of my classmates, although Erin and I traveled here in 2008 during National Police Week. The experience tonight was still remarkable, memorable, and I felt humbled to be among my fellow law enforcement professionals. A wreath was donated to the memorial in honor of the officers who gave the ultimate sacrifice.

FBI NA #256-Week 1

During Week 1 at the National Academy (NA), room assignments are given and students begin to transition to academy style living. Two students per room with two rooms sharing one restroom/shower. I am staying in the Washington Dorm with my room mate Todd Larson from Hammond PD, Indiana. He is a sergeant in patrol similar to me. The day I opened the door to the room, I will never forget how he started yelling "Yea, I get to meet my new roomie" as I looked startled.

We are similar and different in many ways. The best thing about the NA is the forged relationships we build with each other as law enforcement supervisors from all over the world. I will never forget the people I have met and shared this journey through the NA with. Our suite mate is Deputy Chief Mike Fitzgerald from Brattleboro PD, Vermont. He is a retired Marine Corp Gunnery Sergeant who Todd and I hang out with a majority of the time so far spent here. He was once stationed at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma, so he we share that experience of Oklahoma.

This week we went to visit the Marine Corp HMX 1 hanger, which houses the President's fleet of helicopters he travel on.

 

The first Saturday of the Academy, we were required to attend the US National Holocaust Museum in Washington DC. The experience as provided by the tour guides was to help us understand what law enforcement's role was during Nazi Germany and how it affected the Holocaust. Overall it was a positive experience I had never envisioned before this experience.

FBI National Academy Session #256 (Round 2); Week 1

I wanted to reflect on my acceptance and duration of attending one of Law Enforcement's most prestigious academies in the world.  I was selected by my police chief to attend a future session of the FBI's National Academy in April of 2013. I initially attended Session 255 which began on September 29, 2013. I arrived at Quantico, Virginia ready to begin the session unaware the Federal Government would shut down and cancel the academy less than a week after it began. I was sent home shortly thereafter with a promise that I could return at a future unknown date.

Due to previous military commitments, I knew I would only be able to attend the January 2014 session or another September 2014 session. I would prefer the sooner versus later in case the government decides to close again. I was approved to attend Session 256, which began January 20, 2014. 

I will try to detail to the best of my ability the life here at the FBI NA #256 in Quantico, Virginia. Below is some information about the history of the academy.

Info        The FBI National Academy is a professional course of study for U.S. and international law enforcement leaders that serves to improve the administration of justice in police departments and agencies at home and abroad and to raise law enforcement standards, knowledge, and cooperation worldwide. Its mission is “to support, promote, and enhance the personal and professional development of law enforcement leaders by preparing them for complex, dynamic, and contemporary challenges through innovative techniques, facilitating excellence in education and research, and forging partnerships throughout the world.” Who attends Leaders and managers of state and local police, sheriffs’ departments, military police organizations, and federal law enforcement agencies. Participation is by invitation only, though a nomination process. Participants are drawn from every state in the union, from U.S. territories, and from over 160 international partner nations. See below for more details on graduates over the years. The course of study Classes of some 250 officers take undergraduate and/or graduate college courses at our Quantico, Virginia, campus in the following areas: law, behavioral science, forensic science, understanding terrorism/terrorist mindsets, leadership development, communication, and health/fitness. Officers participate in a wide range of leadership and specialized training, and they share ideas, techniques, and experiences with each other, creating lifelong partnerships that span state and national lines. The “Yellow Brick Road” Anyone who’s attended the National Academy knows all about the “Yellow Brick Road,” the final (but optional) test of the fitness challenge. It consists of a 6.1-mile grueling run through a hilly, wooded trail built by the Marines. Along the way, the participants must climb over walls, run through creeks, jump through simulated windows, scale rock faces with ropes, crawl under barbed wire in muddy water, maneuver across a cargo net, and more. When (and if) the students complete this difficult test, they receive an actual yellow brick to memorialize their achievement. The course came to be known as the “Yellow Brick Road” years ago, after the Marines placed yellow bricks at various spots to show runners the way through the wooded trail. The overall fitness challenge began at the National Academy in 1981 and has evolved over the years; we started awarding yellow bricks in 1988. (Source FBI Webpage; http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/training/national-academy) John B.