Bellefontaine Police Chief Chris Marlow recently completed the FBI’s National Command Course at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia.
The National Command Course was created in 2020 to provide executive leadership training for chiefs of smaller law enforcement agencies.
The program is designed specifically for leaders of departments with fewer than 50 sworn officers who may not have the resources to attend longer national leadership programs.
Chiefs must be nominated to participate.
The week-long course brings together law enforcement executives from across the country to strengthen leadership skills, build professional relationships, and share ideas that improve policing and public safety in their communities.
During the course, Marlow participated in training focused on strategic leadership, image management, officer wellness, and preventing targeted violence.
The program also included leadership-focused visits to several historic sites, including George Washington’s Mount Vernon and the George Washington Leadership Institute, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and the National Museum of the Marine Corps.
Each visit tied historical events and leadership principles into the course curriculum.
Marlow said the experience exceeded his expectations.
“The opportunity to attend this training gave way to information beyond expectation. The exceptional instructors provided historical lessons affecting leadership, and I could not be more complimentary. The professionalism of the FBI staff and the care they took to treat us well and provide for us led to an entire week that was filled with principles, ideas, and new colleagues with whom to share information and gain insight.”
The National Command Course graduates approximately 100 law enforcement executives each year.
According to the FBI, the program helps strengthen collaboration between agencies while enhancing leadership and community policing efforts nationwide.
