ASU Police Commander completes FBI training

April 14, 2011

Arizona State University Police Commander William Orr has joined the ranks of a select group of law enforcement personnel who have completed FBI National Academy training at the agency’s headquarters in Quantico, Va.<separator></separator>“Training at the FBI National Academy offers an additional level of expertise for ASU Police Department command staff who can apply knowledge gained to the university,” said ASU Police Chief John Pickens.<separator></separator>Orr, an ASU Police Department commander at the Polytechnic campus, considers himself fortunate to be able to attend the training.<separator></separator>“It was a great experience. I learned a wealth of information,” he said. “One percent of command staff across the country get to attend this elite command-level academy.”<separator></separator> Besides fostering networking with other law-enforcement personnel from around the country, the academy offers leadership and ethics training as well as an emphasis on physical fitness.<separator></separator>Leadership training focuses on the style that works best from a law enforcement perspective, basically to be firm and fair while maintaining consistency.<separator></separator>“That way it’s not different every time. It’s more of a united front,” Orr said.<separator></separator>Ethics considerations look at challenges officers face such as maintaining public trust when faced with difficult cases.<separator></separator>“We talked about the challenges we face every day,” he said.<separator></separator>Physical fitness comes into play especially among command staff that may have a more sedentary job behind a desk rather than out in the field.<separator></separator>“They discussed ways to eat better to help achieve your goals,” Orr said.<separator></separator>Applying lessons learned at the academy to the university community will be evident in service areas such as commitment and awareness.<separator></separator>“We’re armed with more knowledge to be of greater servicer to the community,” he said.<separator></separator>Being able to interact with a class of 260 law enforcement personnel from around the country has already proven useful. Command staff who think they may have a problem that is unique to their department or jurisdiction often discover that others have dealt with the same problem and can offer possible solutions.<separator></separator>“There is always someone out there who has done what you’re looking for before and they can tell you about the pitfalls and how they solved their issue,” Orr said.<separator></separator>Orr is thankful he’s one of the few law-enforcement officials from across the country and around the world who have attended the FBI National Academy. The average wait is 4 to 5 years for openings that are only available for command staff. Those who are accepted apply to the Phoenix FBI office, go through a clearance process and are put in a pool of law-enforcement personnel who are also waiting to go to the academy. He spent three months in Virginia and also earned college credits for his efforts.<separator></separator>“In a three-month period, I earned 17 credits from the University of Virginia,” Orr said.

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