When people think of law enforcement, they mostly think of what happens on the streets – traffic stops and crowd control, crime scenes and arrests. But good policing doesn’t stop at the office door. It takes qualified managers to provide the leadership, resources, and support officers need so they can do their jobs safely and well.
About a dozen senior-level officers from around Northeast Georgia recently devoted time to improving their management skills. They participated in a week-long course hosted by the Demorest Police Department.
Georgia Public Safety Training Center (GPSTC) Senior Law Enforcement Instructor Kevin Angell taught the Law Enforcement Management Level I course. The 40-hour class teaches management skills to those ranked lieutenant or above.
The course is the first in a series of three. After the officers complete all three classes, they receive P.O.S.T. certification in management.
Closer to home
Held at the Demorest municipal complex, last week’s training focused on planning for the future. It covered such topics as recruiting, retention, and budgeting.
“We know that now there is a deficit in law enforcement officers across the country. So planning for recruitment, planning for selection of law enforcement to keep that professionalism going and our ability to service the community [is important],” Angell said.
Typically, the course is taught in a classroom setting at GPSTC in Forsyth. But that requires officers to travel and stay at the facility for a week. For some departments, that can be a challenge.
“We’re very grateful for Kevin bringing it up in our area because of budget constraints,” said Demorest Police Chief Robin Krockum. “It’s just hard to send somebody to Forsyth, be gone for a week, pay per diem, hotel, and everything that goes in line with that. It helps us a lot locally.”
“It’s really important that the Georgia Public Safety Training Center works with its partner agencies to be able to provide training, and sometimes that means coming to them,” Angell said.
Officers from six area agencies participated in the remote learning opportunity. They came from the Demorest, Alto, Toccoa, and Helen police departments and the sheriff’s offices in Habersham and Rabun counties.
Opportunities for advancement
“One of the biggest things that we look at, especially when it comes to training, is getting our people good, meaningful, adequate training to improve their ability to do their job proficiently and professionally,” said Major Sam Jones of the Rabun County Sheriff’s Office.
Jones took the management course for several reasons. He wants to use the training and techniques he learns to run his agency more proficiently. He also wants to use the knowledge he gains to help with on-the-job training because, ultimately, his goal is to prepare junior officers to take over his job one day.
“I want to educate them the best way possible. Give them the best information to help them perform their job, be a better supervisor, and potentially be good managers – to effectively do their job,” he said.
Becoming certified in law enforcement management also looks good on a resumé. Helen Police Captain Bob Taormina said he took the course to help “with my career advancement and required classes for promotional consideration.”
He wants to pass those same opportunities on to others.
Capt. Taormina said he plans to take what he learned and use it to mentor officers more effectively through disciplined management and empowerment: To help them build confidence and advance in their careers.
Putting the lessons to work
Taormina appreciated having the training so close to home, saying having it in Demorest instead of Forsyth “makes it more convenient and affordable for the city.”
The five-day class concluded on Friday with an operational exercise.
They were broken into two groups and had to develop a plan for escorting a prominent dignitary through North Georgia. The training scenario involved multiple stops along the planned route.
Angell said both groups did well and utilized the resources available to them to accomplish the task.
He confidently stated, “Management staff across Northeast Georgia [who attended the class] have left with a better understanding of challenges facing law enforcement recruitment, retention, training, and general operations.”
