The NJ Police Chief Magazine Volume 25, Number 2 | Page 22

The New Jersey Police Chief Magazine | February 2019
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that professional competence is fundamental to successful leadership, and it is equally clear that continuous professional
development is one of the keys to maintaining, if not achieving, a high degree of professional competence. It is the way
professionals – in every field – keep their saws sharp.
Part 2: NJSACOP Senior Leaders and Advanced Police Practices courses
As noted by the New York Times, the United States and Great Britain “are bound by a common language and a shared history,
and their law enforcement agencies have been close partners for generations.” 6 In the context of professional development for
police executives, the NJ State Association of Chiefs of Police has been at the absolute forefront of taking advantage of –
indeed expanding upon – this close partnership.
This partnership is in line with our well-earned reputation for offering our members (and other stakeholders) cutting-edge
professional development opportunities and fresh perspectives on contemporary issues. One of our key strategies in delivering
such opportunities is looking beyond the traditional topics, presenters, venues, and methods of law enforcement professional
development and education. While of course we have an enormous wealth of talent, knowledge, and experience right here in
our own backyard, we naturally do not have a monopoly on these assets. Accordingly, we continually seek out the best that
can be found from across our borders – whether those borders are local, state, national, or even international.
Professional and personal growth benefits from looking beyond the routine, the comfortable, and the local; in short, from being
open to new experiences, information, and perspectives. Once again this year the NJSACOP will be partnering with
outstanding police institutions in Great Britain for a NJSACOP Senior Leadership Seminar at the Scottish Police College
and an Advanced Professional Policing Practices Seminar - London.
The agendas and details for the 2019 sessions of these world-class development courses can be found on the NJSACOP
website “Professional Development Division” tab. The mix our in-class instruction, roundtable discussion, and site visits make
these courses not just uniquely interesting and instructive, but also in keeping with the most current and contemporary
theories and practices in regards to adult learning in general, and specifically law enforcement professional develop. While
each of these courses stands on their own, they also fit into the overall NJSACOP professional development portfolio.
Participants receive units that can be used towards qualification for the Accredited Chief/Command Executive [“ACE-COP”]
certification designation, a statewide, voluntary professional credentialing program instituted and administered by the
NJSACOP. Additionally, participants in the program are eligible for 3 credits toward a bachelor’s or master’s degree at
Fairleigh Dickinson University.
It is important to note that each of these special courses have limited registration, which serves to maximize the interactive
nature of the learning experience. Likewise, we seek to fill the delegation with police executives from a variety of law
enforcement perspectives, jurisdictions, and experiences. This immeasurably adds to the learning environment (and
professional networking) of the course. In past sessions we have had police executive attendees from jurisdictions and agency
types from throughout New Jersey, as well as Delaware, Michigan, Tennessee, The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, UK police
forces, the US Drug Enforcement Administration, the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, New Jersey
Transit Police, university police departments, and Sheriff's offices.
The attendees 7 (or “delegates,” our British hosts would say) from previous sessions of the course have had high praise for the
program. For instance, Summit Police Captain Andrew Bartolotti reached out to me at the NJSACOP State Office following his
return from a previous Senior Leaders course to express his thoughts on the experience.
As I am back in the office this week and reflecting on the experience I wish to once again express my sincere gratitude for the
opportunity to be part of the NJ Delegation to Scotland. Although I struggled a bit with the time difference, the
entire experience was one that I will cherish and hope to build upon throughout my career. I must also commend you, Pat,
Dave and Jackie for the itinerary that was put together. Each event, in and of its own, was an extremely valuable
opportunity. The networking with colleagues, both local and abroad, has been my greatest takeaway as I had several
opportunities to speak with others and gain their insight on areas that are directly related to my position and my agency.
In addition, another attendee, Detective Lieutenant Michael Fairweather of the Pequannock Police Department, who attended
the same course and the course we conducted at the UK College of Policing in 2015, also took the time to send his thoughts on
the course. “It was an incredible experience….I was able to understand and take away many new concepts that I am planning
to implement here in Pequannock. Most important though is the formal and informal mentoring that I have received from the
variety of Association members during the past two seminars. These past two seminars have been some of the highlights of
my career.”
These comments, as well as many more in a similar vein that we have received following each of these special Senor
Leaders Seminars that we have conducted with our British colleagues are exceptionally meaningful and gratifying, and
exemplify the underlying purpose of conducting such special courses.
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