Public Safety Leadership Academy for Law Enforcement
The future of leadership in public safety.
The Public Safety Leadership Academy is an intensive, 11-week, residential training program for senior law enforcement officers from around Ohio. The program is designed to retain strong personnel in law enforcement, prepare them for promotion and build the skills necessary to supervise any division within a law enforcement agency.
Apply by December 19 for the 2025 Cohort
Program Highlights:
Designed for senior peace officers in police departments, county sheriff's offices, State Highway Patrol posts, and other law enforcement agencies.
- Retain strong personnel and prepare them for promotion.
- Build the skills your leadership team needs to supervise any division within your agency.
- Invest in time away for your best officers to recharge and return ready to lead.
- Free for your agency and nominees selected to participate.
- Minimum rank of lieutenant or equivalent and at least one year of supervisory experience.
- Sworn officer employed by a police department, county sheriff's office, the State Highway Patrol or other qualified law enforcement agency.
- High school diploma or equivalent.
- Interested applicants apply through the Ohio State Highway Patrol Academy website.
- Free for officers selected into the program and their sponsoring agency.
- Room and board is provided at no cost to participants at the Ohio State Highway Patrol Academy in Columbus, Ohio.
- The Ohio Department of Public Safety covers the cost of the program, including tuition and room and board, using casino tax revenue distributed to the Office of Criminal Justice Services for law enforcement training.
- Courses cover topics necessary to manage any division within a law enforcement agency.
- Participants complete a capstone project designed to have direct benefit for their home agency.
- Classes are from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. five days a week for 11 weeks.
- There are no classes one week so students can attend National Police Week in Washington, D.C.
- Depending on prior education, students earn ten hours of graduate or undergraduate credit from Ohio State.
History
The Ohio Department of Public Safety (DPS) recognized that many law enforcement officers who are promoted to managerial positions do not receive the training they need to succeed in their new role. To address this need, DPS partnered with the John Glenn College of Public Affairs and the Ohio State Highway Patrol Academy to launch the Public Safety Leadership Academy in 2013. The program is a national model for collaboration in law enforcement training, sponsored by DPS, hosted at the Patrol Academy, and administered by the Glenn College.