Sergeant Tobin Brennan of the Soldotna Police Department recently graduated as a member of the 288th session of the FBI National Academy–he is one of a select few officers in department history to complete this prestigious program.
“It’s a huge honor to be selected to be able to go. Just the fact that my department was willing to let me do that,” said Sgt. Brennan. “I mean, we’re shorthanded and me being gone is a burden on the department. And so, I took that real serious when I was there, understanding the sacrifice of the guys and gals that I work with that have [in order] to kind of fill my shifts and fill my role while I was there.”
Four times each year the FBI National Academy hosts police officers from around the country for an eleven week program which covers advanced communication, leadership, and fitness training. Participants must have proven records as professionals within their agencies as well as a recommendation from their department chief to attend. This means attendees are joined by the highest class of officers from around the country, an experience Brennan found very enriching.
“There was a lot of personal development I got while I was there,” Brennan said, “the ability to be in rooms with leaders from all over our country, chiefs of police, lieutenants, captains, inspectors, and just to be able to learn from them and talk with them about what the kind of things that go on in their department.”
Sgt. Brennan was one of two officers from Alaska selected to attend the most recent session of the FBI Academy, which hosted 198 law enforcement officers from 24 countries, four military organizations, and six federal civilian organizations. And while many officers from around the country who attend the National Academy wait for years to be accepted to the academy, Brennan was accepted upon his first application.
In all, Sgt. Brennan says he is eager to get back to work and apply what he learned at the National Academy. “It was really enlightening to me. It made me feel like I know that we’re doing things really well at my department based on a lot of the people that I was talking to, but that we can do better. And that I can be part of helping to bring about that change is a responsibility I don’t take lightly.”
