Jacksonville State University (JSU) has opened the Southeastern Leadership Command College, dedicated to preparing law enforcement officers for senior leadership roles.

“For more than 50 years, Jacksonville State has been the torchbearer for police education and training in northeast Alabama,” JSU President Don C. Killingsworth, Jr. said during a ribbon cutting for the new Command College.

“Over the past decade, the university has widened its reach, offering comprehensive training and resources to support officers at every stage of their careers throughout the state of Alabama.”

The new Command College provides Alabama police officers who aspire to lead departments and agencies access to a program specifically designed to help them reach their goals. The college will build on the university’s existing programs, providing professional development to senior leaders – such as police chiefs and sheriffs – while grooming those at the sergeant and lieutenant levels for leadership roles.

Command College is now enrolling students for its first cohort, set to begin in March. The nine-week program will center on general management and leadership principles, including conflict resolution, fiscal responsibilities, and the political, legal and social environment in law enforcement. Admission to the college is open to any Alabama police officer who holds the rank of sergeant or above. The program is free for sworn law enforcement officers in Alabama.

Alabama law enforcement officers at the new Command College at JSU. (Jacksonville State University)

JSU is already home to the Northeast Alabama Law Enforcement Academy, which has trained 15,000 law enforcement officers on campus since it was established in 1972. The university’s Department of Criminal Justice and Forensic Investigation offers top-ranked degree programs for students pursuing careers in law enforcement, including the state’s only Bachelor of Science in Forensic Investigation.

To support the continuing education of law enforcement statewide, Jax State has developed several training programs over the past decade, including:

• The Center for Applied Forensics, which provides education, technical expertise and investigative services to law enforcement agencies across the state. The center has trained more than 4,000 officers, processed more than 400 crime scenes and helped solve more than 320 cases to date. Its new Cold Case Program is working to help departments close unsolved homicide cases.
• The Center for Best Practices in Law Enforcement – funded by the Alabama Legislature – which supplements the education and training of police officers across the state. To date, it has hosted 166 training sessions on a variety of topics, serving approximately 6,000 officers.
• The Alabama Investigator Academy. A partnership between the Center for Best Practices in Law Enforcement and the Alabama Peace Officers Standards and Training Commission, the academy trains newly promoted investigators across Alabama. It’s the first program of its kind in the state.

The programs are housed at the JSU McClellan Center, the university’s facility at the former Fort McClellan Army base in Anniston, where the new Command College also is located.

The Northeast Alabama Law Enforcement Academy at JSU has trained 15,000 officers since it was established in 1972. (Jacksonville State University)

“When you look at the value of what JSU has done, it is not just the investment in law enforcement – it is the fact that you have told a mother whose child is a victim of a violent crime that we are going to support you in finding the person who committed that offense and find justice,” Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said during the ribbon cutting.

“While you have had a broad impact on people who have come through these doors, it’s the communities in which they came from where you will make the most impact,” Marshall said.

“Jacksonville State has a long and established history in law enforcement training,” said Randy Jones, chair of the JSU board of trustees. He said the board is committed to making the new Command College “… the gold standard for the nation.”

“We look forward to serving the state and serving citizens with the best law enforcement training in the country,” Jones said.

For more information about the new Command College, contact the Center for Best Practices in Law Enforcement at CBPLE@jsu.edu.

A version of this story originally appeared on the Jacksonville State University website.