Chester County's Sheriff's Office To Host Police Training With NJ Police Chiefs

CHESTER COUNTY, PA — Chester County is set to host regional courses for law enforcement as the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police expands its leadership training program into eastern Pennsylvania.

Chester County's sheriff said the training is more important than ever since the murder of George Floyd placed law enforcement into a national spotlight, while the public has demanded more training for officers.

What began in 1992 as a leadership training program inspired by the U.S. Military Academy at West Point has resulted in more than 700 police officers across New Jersey and surrounding states receiving intensive courses in how best to lead and motivate their colleagues while fostering positive community relationships.

The work of the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police (NJSACOP) has not stopped at the state line. The 13-week program known as the NJSACOP Command and Leadership Academy initially expanded into Delaware and now will move into Pennsylvania. On Oct. 15 NJSACOP announced the academy will soon be serving the next generation of leaders in five counties of eastern Pennsylvania.

The inaugural class will enter the program in January to take courses through the Chester County Sheriff's Office under the direction of NJSACOP trainers.

Gerald R. Simpson, chief of the Southern Chester County Regional Police Department, said, "As a professional in law enforcement for 39 years, I immediately saw the tremendous value of New Jersey’s program and the need to bring it to Pennsylvania."

Simpson added, "There is no doubt: Law enforcement needs more leadership training than ever, focusing on the behavioral sciences and the numerous theories of how best we can interact with one another."

The program is set up similarly to college semesters, with the tuition-based programs offered in the spring and the fall, explained Paul Sorrentino, the academy's program director. The curricula, following the leadership training that West Point cadets receive their junior year, focuses in four key areas: becoming a leader, motivating individual personnel, leading groups, and managing environmental factors and outside influences.

"This military program translates well for supervisory officers in law enforcement preparing for the next step," explained Sorrentino, noting the trainees meet once a week, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and take exams as they move through the four key areas.

At the end of each class, NJSACOP holds a graduation ceremony and confers certificates. When the program was launched in 1992-93, there were northern and southern regions established for the course in New Jersey.

As the program expanded, Region 3 was added to serve Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and southern New Jersey. Region 4 was launched last year for Middlesex and Somerset counties in New Jersey.

Chester County Sheriff's Office To Hold First Sessions In January

And now Region 5 will comprise eastern Pennsylvania, through this new arrangement with the Chester County Sheriff's Office.

"Besides these supervisors receiving superb leadership training modeled after West Point, the program also helps them secure credits for college degrees," Sorrentino said. "The NJSACOP has established relationships with colleges and universities, in which this course and several certification programs translate into college credits, as these supervisory officers prepare to be future leaders in their organizations."

Region 5 is expected to enroll between 12-16 officers for the inaugural class, to be held at the Chester County Government Services Center in West Chester, although total enrollment can reach up to 30 trainees, NJSACOP said in a news statement.

Chester County Sheriff Fredda Maddox said, "I am delighted to play a small role in what I know is a tremendous opportunity for first responders in our region. Since the killing of George Floyd placed law enforcement and first responders in the national spotlight, the public has demanded that law enforcement and other first responders receive more leadership and professional training."

Maddox added, "I am fortunate to work with Chief Simpson and other progressive agency leaders who were already ahead of police reform when they started the Command and Leadership Academy to create transformational leadership."

Simpson expressed appreciation to the NJSACOP for this new level of training. "It is vital to run a healthy organization with strong, positive leadership," Simpson said. "In turn, we can then best serve the public. It has been a terrific experience working with the NJSACOP, and we are pleased to expand our relationship in this new way."

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