Shelby County Major Graduates DEA Drug Unit Commander Academy

SHELBY COUNTY, AL — Major Clay Hammac of the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office completed the culmination of his narcotics enforcement career when he recently graduated from the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Drug Unit Commander Academy in Virginia.

Hammac was joined by 17 other commanders from across the country who participated in the residential training at the DEA Training Academy.

The academy was created for local, state and tribal law enforcement commanders who have at least five years of command in narcotics investigations and are respected among the federal law enforcement community.

Based at the DEA Training Academy in Quantico, Va., commanders attend two weeks of training focused on executive leadership, strengthening community relationships, and supporting employee wellness. Each year only one commander from each of the 23 DEA divisions across the nation is selected to attend. Hammac was selected from the four state division consisting of Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Arkansas.

Hammac began his law enforcement career at the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office in 2004, and took command of the multi-jurisdictional Drug Enforcement Task Force in 2015. In 2020 Major Hammac was promoted to Sheriff John Samaniego’s executive command staff where he serves in a leadership oversight role of the Drug Enforcement Unit, in addition to Patrol and Criminal Investigations.

This latest accomplishment adds to Hammac’s recent awards which include completion of the FBI National Academy, a lifesaving medal, two meritorious awards, the Sheriff’s Award, Officer of the Year, FOP state-wide Member of the Year, and one of the world’s Top 40 Under 40 Law Enforcement Leaders in 2018 by the International Association of Chiefs of Police, from a candidate pool of more than 36,000 nominations.