Instructors from the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police traveled to Budapest, Hungary, last June to teach its curriculum.
The command and leadership academy of the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police (NJSACOP) has become one of the nation’s premier law-enforcement leadership development courses. And now it wants to provide overseas training.
Four instructors from the NJSACOP traveled to the International Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA) in Budapest, Hungary, last June to teach its curriculum to command and supervisory officers from that country, Croatia, Slovenia and Slovakia. The 32 instructors included supervisory law-enforcement officers, investigators and other criminal justice officials, all of whom are required to share the knowledge gained with their colleagues, according to NJSACOP.
The ILEA program is an initiative of the U.S. state department and the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) that is designed to enhance international cooperation and training for law enforcement around the world. ILEA facilities are located in regions worldwide, including Thailand and El Salvador, and New Mexico in the U.S.
NJSACOP is known for its unique blend of theory and application designed to create future leaders in law enforcement. Federal officials have requested the agency deliver its Command and Leadership Academy program three more times in the upcoming months at ILEA locations in Budapest and Botswana, according to the press release.
The NJSACOP training runs 104 hours over 13 weeks, but the June program was condensed to 72 rigorous hours in nine days of instruction to fit the ILEA program. The curriculum integrates behavioral-science theories and scenario-based learning to enhance education and skill development.
NJSACOP emphasizes leadership as a science with logical thinking and critical methodology, along with police-oriented case studies. The course also encourages practical application of organizational theory within a law-enforcement context. Hundreds of law-enforcement supervisors have graduated from the program since the early 1990s, as it expanded from New Jersey into five area states.
As the program expanded, Region 3 was added to serve Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and southern New Jersey. Region 4 was launched for Middlesex and Somerset counties. Region 5 comprises eastern Pennsylvania through an arrangement with the Chester County Sheriff’s Office. Academy students come from a wide variety of local, county, state and federal agencies including the FBI, the Federal Air Marshal Service and the U.S. Marshals Service.
