EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ’ S REPORT
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ’ S REPORT
MITCHELL C . SKLAR
NJSACOP CONTINUES TO REACH OUT FOR GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE IN POLICE LEADERSHIP 2023 Senior Leaders Course conducted in cooperation with the Police Service of Northern Ireland and An Garda Síochána
The NJSACOP has a well-earned reputation for offering our members and other stakeholders cutting-edge professional development opportunities and fresh perspectives on contemporary issues . One of our Association ’ s 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 , the local ; in short , from being open to new experiences , information , and perspectives . The 17 police professionals that attended the 2023 NJSACOP Senior Leadership Seminar did just that , and much more . The program , conducted in conjunction with the Police Service of Northern Ireland and the An Garda Síochána ( the national police service of the Republic of Ireland ), was held July 02 – 11 , 2023 in both Belfast and Dublin . Attendees included police leaders from New Jersey , Pennsylvania , Maryland , California , and a bi-state agency .
In putting together the agenda for the program , we were able to take advantage of the close links we ’ ve forged over the past several years with our international colleagues . The result was an agenda that included a rich mix of practitioners and police educators , as well as the opportunity to make several site visits of great interest to our group of law enforcement professionals .
The New Jersey Police Chief Magazine | September 2023
The limited registration for this seminar served to maximize the interactive nature of the learning experience . The agenda was broken down into multiple units , with a special emphasis on Decision Making , Command and Control of Critical Incidents , Training , Governance of Use of Force , Public Order , and Multi-Agency Cooperation . This focus was not chosen at random ; on the one hand , New Jersey ’ s law enforcement leaders have been confronted with these challenges in ways not readily imaginable just a few short years ago , while public safety professionals in Ireland and Northern Ireland have been dealing with these issues for decades . They have drawn many lessons from these experiences and are more than eager to share these lessons . The specific information provided on plans , tactics , strategies , mistakes , successes , and the like were interesting and useful , even more importantly was the chance for our attendees to look at these topics from another perspective and to challenge their own thoughts and assumptions .
While this seminar stands on its own , it also fits into the overall NJSACOP professional development portfolio . Participants receive units that can be used towards qualification for the Accredited Chief / Command Executive certification designation , a statewide , voluntary professional credentialing program instituted and administered by the NJSACOP .
Quite naturally , I am proud to say that the program was an unqualified success . However , anyone that knows anything about our Association knows that we are not content to rest on our laurels . We are indeed already planning for the next endeavor in conjunction with Greater Manchester Police [ UK ], with plans for the next Senior Leaders Seminar at the College of Policing already underway . Although these plans are not yet finalized , we are working on conducting the course in July 2024 at the GMP ’ s leadership training center at Sedgley Park in Greater Manchester .
As future plans develop for other unique professional development opportunities , we will keep you informed . As the saying goes , “ stay tuned .”
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