Sheriff Atkinson and Sheriff Clark shown at the FBI Academy’s National Command Course
(Atkinson second from left, third row from the bottom, Clark second from right, second row from the bottom)
Two local sheriffs from neighboring counties say they learned some things about law enforcement leadership by participating in the National Command Course at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia.
“It was hard to be gone a week out of my county but it was one of those things, a chance to go up there and train with some of the best and be around that type of leadership and the training that they offer up there,” says Leake County Sheriff Randy Atkinson. He was invited to undergo the training along with Neshoba County Sheriff Eric Clark who says, “Most of what we did was to analyze how law enforcement is faring today and how we can make it better as far as leadership in law enforcement.”
Clark says he and Atkinson were among 52 sheriffs and police chiefs from smaller departments who took the course July 13-17. “You had to be less than 50 officers. There were police and sheriff’s departments from Alabama all the way to Alaska. There were people from all over the United States.”
As a law enforcement officer with plenty of experience, Clark says initially he was hesitant about taking the course. “Even after 30 years, I picked up enough from the Academy that I can now say that I was glad that I went.”
Atkinson says he especially enjoyed learning more about the nation’s first president. “We visited Mount Vernon, which was George Washington’s homeplace. That was one of our classes, the leadership that he provided in his life through all the wars and different stuff he’s been in.” The sheriff says the class showed how Washington learned from his mistakes.
Atkinson says the National Command Course also provided an opportunity to network with law enforcement leaders from those other states. “And I guess that was one of the things really, really good about it, to get to see how other people do law enforcement. And to make the connections, make friends, life-long friends, with somebody that lives all the way across the country.”
This was only the ninth time the FBI has offered this course.
Sheriffs Atkinson and Clark receiving certificates for the successful completion of the National Command Course from Unit Chief Corey Hudson at the FBI Academy.
