ABOUT THE INSTITUTE
Georgia State has partnered with Atlanta Police Department and Atlanta Police Foundation in training hundreds of sergeants, lieutenants, and command staff since 2012.
The Department of Criminal Justice & Criminology at Georgia State has been partnering with local law enforcement agencies since 1994.
The department was originally conceived in the 1960s the enhance police professionalism using federal funds from the Law Enforcement Education Program (LEEP).
Over 25 Years of Training & Leadership Development...
About the Institute
The Leadership Development Institute of Georgia (LDIG) is founded in a rich history of leadership training at the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies and the Department of Criminal Justice & Criminology at Georgia State. The Andrew Young School has a dynamic and diverse tradition of providing cutting edge training and consultation to domestic and international organizations to help improve their leadership potential and operational capacities. For example, the Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange (GILEE) has decades of experience providing leadership and tactical training to peace officers in Georgia and from around the globe. The Evidence-Based Cyber-Security (EBCS) Group provides training and mentorship programs to law enforcement and private security professionals in how to identify and combat criminal actions perpetrated using the darknet. The School of Social Work’s Child Welfare Training Collaborative offers training to community partners such as law enforcement officers and juvenile court personnel, to develop a shared understanding of issues facing children and families in the state. The Experimental Economics Center provides training and consultation aimed at using evidence-driven solutions to improve the operations of public and private organizations while the Non-Profit Studies Program does the same for non-profit organizations. The Georgia Policy Labs provide training to educational entities across Georgia as does the Georgia Health Policy Research Center for medical providers. The Center for State and Local Finance provides tax training to domestic government entities while the International Center for Public Policies does the same for dozens of central governments around the world.
In the early 1980s, the Department of Criminal Justice & Criminology worked with the Georgia Peace Officer and Training Council (GA-POST) to develop three separate 120-hour training courses for the state’s law enforcement community. These three-week courses that focused on supervisors, managers, and executives, were created by Georgia State and taught primarily by faculty in the Department at the Georgia Police Academy (GPA). They were the foundation for the GA-POST Advanced Certification program. When the Georgia Public Safety Training Center opened in Forsyth, Georgia, the program shifted from GPA to the Center where the Supervisory and Management Certifications courses continue to be taught on a regular basis.
The department began a long-lasting relationship with the MARTA Police Department in 1994 concerning the promotion of its personnel. The training-based promotions program provides job-related training to prospective sergeants and lieutenants. Candidates participate in training sessions where they are exposed to formal instruction that is directly related to the aspired job. During the training period, they undergo assessment center-like exercises as well as take cognitive examinations. Resulting scores are used as the basis for promotional decisions. Over the course of 25 years, hundreds MARTA police officers have participated, and scores have been promoted.
In 2012, the department entered a partnership with the Atlanta Police Foundation (APF) and the Atlanta Police Department (APD) to create the Atlanta Police Leadership Institute (APLI). The program focuses on identifying and developing Atlanta Police leaders from the time that they step into the academy as recruits, and up through the ranks of the department – developing their leadership skills and style as they progress. Each step or “Tier” of the program is designed to identify departmental leaders and provide cutting edge leadership training across their careers. Since its inception, Georgia State has partnered with APD and APF in training hundreds of sergeants, lieutenants, and command staff (along with a number of their civilian counterparts) in cutting-edge leadership training.
It was out of this partnership that LDIG was conceived. The Institute expands this training model for delivery at the regional level so that the benefits can be spread to other law enforcement agencies. Three innovative leadership programs are being crafted by the Institute. They are geared toward mid-level and command staff personnel as well as 1st line supervisors who show promise of advancement. All programs will focus on three key areas: Leadership Development, Organizational Cohesiveness and Community Engagement. All training is deigned to qualify for training credit from the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council and academic credit at either the undergraduate or graduate level after follow-up registration from Georgia State.
The inaugural program for agencies in the region begins in October 2021. It will be the Command-Level Instructional Program which is designed for mid-level management law enforcement personnel who are at or above the rank of lieutenant. The learning environment will foster participation, interaction, and forward thinking. It will also be demanding and intellectually challenging. Participants will be assigned readings and other tasks and each class member will be required to complete a written project related to a real-life obstacle they face in their individual agency. Programs at the other levels are under development.