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Sheriff’s office commanders graduate from Northwestern University
Submitted photo
Capt. Mike Rackey, left, Lt. Brian Herlihy, Charles County Sheriff Rex Coffey and Sgt. Scott Fetterolf celebrate the commanders’ graduation from Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command.
Charles County Sheriff Rex Coffey (D) recently announced the graduation of Capt. Mike Rackey, Lt. Brian Herlihy and Sgt. Scott Fetterolf from the Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command.
They were among 31 graduates who completed a 10-week rigorous academic training program held Feb. 13 through April 27.
The Northwestern University program provides upper-level college instruction in 22 core blocks of instruction and uses nine additional blocks of instruction during each session.
Topics include management and management theory, organizational behavior, human resources for law enforcement, budgeting, staffing allocation and personnel deployment.
Each student is challenged academically through 18 written exams, projects and quizzes, and a research paper.
Upon completion, students may be awarded 21 undergraduate credits, which could be applied to other colleges.
Rackey, commander of executive services and a 24-year veteran of law enforcement, said he was glad to have had the opportunity to attend the program.
“This training was excellent. It gave us insight regarding effective police procedures and taught us skills we can use to help us map out the goals of the agency,” Rackey said in a news release from the sheriff’s office.
“Attending this program was a great learning experience,” said Herlihy, a 24-year-veteran of the sheriff’s office and commander of communications. “The courses provided me with the confidence I need to help the agency progress. To me, the contacts and friendships I made are priceless and probably the most valuable of the entire experience.”
Fetterolf, a 21-year-veteran of the office and a patrol supervisor, said the program was excellent because it focused on traditional management principles as well as emerging trends in management.
“A competent manager must consider a multitude of issues when deciding a course of action,” he said in the release.
“The school of police staff and command taught me how to weigh various circumstances and develop strategies to address current issues as well as possible future challenges.”
Citing the accomplishments of Rackey, Herlihy and Fetterolf, Coffey said, “These officers spent a good deal of time away from their home and families and I appreciate the hard work they put in to completing the program. What they learned will enhance the agency’s strategies to better serve our community.”
Since the program was established in 1983, more than 8,000 national and international students have graduated from the Northwestern University program, according to the release.
Many of the graduates have achieved leadership positions within their respective agencies.
More than 750 graduates are chiefs of police and 39 of the 50 directors of state police agencies are also graduates, according to the university.