Wednesday

I woke up this morning at 5am. I have been having a hard time sleeping in this new to me dorm setting. My roommate and I share a bath room with two suitemate’s so there is always some type of movement or noises going on.

Today was also the first day of classes. I had 4 classes today. Most of the classes today we went over introductions and the syllabus. I have six total classes for the session:

1. Employment Law Issues for Law Enforcement Executives
2. Fitness in Law Enforcement
3. Essentials for Law Enforcement Leaders
4. Behavioral Science for Law Enforcement
5. Leadership in Investigative Strategies for Violent Crime
6. Contemporary Issues in Law Enforcement Seminar

Today I had Employment Law Issues for Law Enforcement Executives. This class is constitutional law and labor law. The instructor is a lawyer with the FBI and is very personable. He will keep the class rolling along.

I also had Behavioral Science for Law Enforcement Leaders. This is going to be a Psychology based class examining human behavior both criminal and non-criminal. I will have two papers and a PowerPoint presentation to complete by the end of class.

Of the 4 classes I had today it was immediately evident that all were going to be very beneficial as well as interesting.

After class we headed to dinner. Surprisingly the cafe food is pretty decent but you have to be careful because it’s all you can eat. The cafe was busy tonight as there are also two new FBI agent schools going on as well. I was told there are 300 new agents and analysts here.

After dinner we had a meeting for those that are going on the New York City trip in February. After the meeting I went up to my room to get my class work organized and ended up working on some homework.

Dinner for me tonight was stuffed chicken, shrimp and rice.

Tuesday

Up at 6am today. Ate a quick breakfast in the cafeteria and then met at 0730 with my section. The full session is split into 5 different sections. I am in Section 2. The morning was spent going over rules and signing forms and introductions. We were also told what you can get kicked out of the NA for doing.

We did a tour in the afternoon of the FBI training academy and then the entire session met in the auditorium for a presentation by the National Academy Associates. After that we filled out our travel vouchers for reimbursement for our travel to Quantico.

After dinner I was going to swim however my roommate Steve convinced me to hit the running track. We did a timed mile run in preparation for our timed run test on Thursday morning. While running we could hear gunfire in the distance from training as well as blacked out helicopters flying low over us and landing in the middle of the track. We believe it was the FBI Hostage Rescue Team doing flying training.

Monday

Myself and 5 of my fellow Michigan attendees arrived to Quantico at 8am. They are a great group of guys from the Kent County Sheriff Office, Detroit PD, Lansing PD, Sandusky PD and the Michigan State Police. We had met two times previously to coming to Quantico.

Upon arrival we checked in with NA, the University of Virginia and the National Academy Associates. Photos were taken for our ID badge and we were given our dorm room assignments. We purchased our classroom uniforms as well as our gym uniforms. When I arrived to my room I found that my roommate was moved in but was not in the room upon my arrival.

The rest of the day I toured around the large complex and had lunch at the cafeteria. Upon returning back to my room I met my roommate Steve Congalton from California. He’s a great guy and it was apparent from the start that we were going to get along great. Dinner was a welcoming dinner with the entire session.

After dinner I went off the base to get a few things I needed and finished the day out with a 1 mile swim.

For those of you that don’t know the FBI National Academy was developed in 1935 as a bridge between the FBI, state and local law enforcement officers. Currently the academy is 10 weeks in length. A session consists of approximately 250 law enforcement leaders from around the United States and the world. Attendees take 6 classes and obtain college credit through the University of Virginia. Many of the courses are taught by FBI agents. The session takes place at the FBI training academy in Quantico, Virginia.

I was nominated over 3 years ago to attend by my Sheriff. Last June I received a call from our local FBI office stating I had been chosen from our area to attend the 275th session. My report date was January 7, 2019.

It is a honor and privilege to have the opportunity to be here.

Session #275