Eighteen Chester County first responders receive certification from a leadership program on Oct. 21. They were honored at a gathering in East Windsor, N.J. Pennsylvania's inaugural class is among the newest graduates of the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police (NJSACOP) Command and Leadership Academy, which was brought to the Chester County Government Services Center in 2022 through Southern Chester County Regional Police Department Chief Gerald Simpson and Chester County Sheriff Fredda Maddox.

For 13 weeks, law enforcement and emergency first responders from Chester, Bucks, Lancaster, Montgomery, and Delaware counties, along with law enforcement officers from Cecil County, Md., undertook rigorous training inspired by the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

Academy participants studied leading theory and current best practices in four primary areas - becoming a leader, motivating personnel, leading groups and managing environmental factors and outside influences. They applied those lessons and self-examination of their current methods and motivations as they grappled with real-life situations. For example, one program module focused on the power of listening. Topics included research about listening and ways to use the skill to excel on the job and positively impact employee retention to promote a safer community and save taxpayers' dollars.

Local law enforcement officers and first responders interested in applying for the spring 2023 Region 5 course beginning Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023, should immediately contact the NJSACOP state office at 856-334-8943 or psorrentino@njsacop.org.