Jax State Command College Now in Session

03/06/2024

Forty-four officers across Alabama are enrolled in Command College's first class.

by Buffy Lockette

Forty-four Alabama law enforcement officers representing 25 agencies across the state are enrolled in the first class of students at Jax State’s Southeastern Leadership Command College. The nine-week program, which kicked off this week, is dedicated to training police officers to lead departments and agencies.

The first program of its kind in Alabama, Command College provides professional development to senior leaders – such as police chiefs and sheriffs – while grooming those at the sergeant and lieutenant levels for leadership roles. The curriculum centers on general management and leadership principles, including conflict resolution, fiscal responsibilities, and the political, legal and social environment in law enforcement.

“It’s going really well,” Kaleb Littlejohn, director of the Center for Best Practices in Law Enforcement, said on the second day of classes on March 5. “I am extremely pleased with how engaged they are and how willing they are to learn. I couldn’t be happier about the way they are communicating.”

Command College is one of several programs and initiatives Jacksonville State has established over the past decade to support Alabama law enforcement. Its peer programs include the Center for Applied Forensics, Center for Best Practices in Law Enforcement, the Alabama Investigator Academy and the Jax State Cold Case Program. The university is also home to the Northeast Alabama Law Enforcement Academy.

“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 for Command College in January. “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.”

Admission to Command 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. The next session will start in October. For more information, contact the Center for Best Practices in Law Enforcement at CBPLE@jsu.edu.