Mount Vernon Police Lt. Qade Lewis was one of 31 law enforcement leaders who graduated on Thursday from the Ohio Public Safety Leadership Academy.
Lewis and his classmates completed 11 weeks of accredited, college-level training through a partnership with The Ohio State University John Glenn College of Public Affairs. The Patrol’s Training Academy hosted the training, which was offered at no cost to agencies. Casino tax revenue was distributed to the Ohio Department of Public Safety’s Office of Criminal Justice Services for the purpose of supporting law enforcement training funded training.
State Highway Patrol Colonel Charles A. Jones provided remarks during the graduation ceremony and Heidi Ramsey, an instructor for PSLA and the FBI National Academy addressed the graduates.
Graduates earned a leadership certificate and 10 hours of academic credit through The Ohio State University John Glenn College of Public Affairs. They learned skills necessary to manage any division within a law enforcement agency and demonstrated preparedness to take on additional leadership responsibilities. The officers completed 274 hours of instruction on leadership, community engagement, public administration and contemporary issues in policing.
They met with executive law enforcement officials to learn from their experiences and discuss how to build positive relations within their own communities. Classes also dealt with future challenges in the field, overcoming the unique mental stressors of possible violence on the job, and ensuring best practices for law enforcement managers to recruit and retain the next generation of law enforcement professionals.
The graduates traveled to Washington, D.C. and the Antietam National Battlefield in Sharpsburg, Maryland, during National Police Week. They toured sites that shaped the nation’s leaders and attended specialized training for peace officers at the National Holocaust Museum.
As part of a community outreach effort, graduates partnered with the Columbus-based nonprofit Local Matters to help restore and repair community garden sites in Central Ohio.
