UTPD Chief Troy Lane recently completed the Senior Management Institute for Police, an intensive training that provides senior police executives with the latest management concepts and practices used in business and government.
The intensive course is an initiative of the Police Executive Research Forum. It aims to equip police leaders to effectively move their organizations forward. As part of the program, participants engage in discussions of the most challenging issues facing law enforcement executives today.
The three-week program featured faculty from top universities including Harvard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Simmons College, John Hopkins University, and Tufts University. It also included successful law enforcement chief executives and subject matter experts from the private sector.
Lane joined 91 other police executives from around the country for the course, which was held in Orlando in July.
Viewing police organizations through the lens of business management was a big takeaway, Lane said.
“You’re being exposed to the latest and best practices in organizational change,” he said. “At the heart of it, you’re running a business.”
Networking with 91 other police leaders from around the country was an added benefit, he said.
Other Senior Management Institute for Police curriculum topics included diversity, political management, organizational strategy, performance management, organizational change, leadership, managerial problem-solving, strategy implementation and leadership communications. It also covered career planning, negotiation, the budgeting process, critical incident response, media relations, officer wellness, and new policing strategies and innovations.