Jacksonville State University this week cut the ribbon on its new Southeastern Leadership Command College, which will provide aspiring law enforcement officers courses designed to help prepare them for leadership roles within departments.
“For more than 50 years, Jacksonville State has been the torchbearer for police education and training in Northeast Alabama,” said JSU President Don C. Killingsworth, Jr. during the ribbon cutting event. “Over the past decade, the university has widened its reach, offering comprehensive training and resources to support officers at every stage of their careers throughout the State of Alabama.”
The college is located at the university’s facility at the former Fort McClellan where existing programs are housed: the Center for Applied Forensics, the Center for Best Practices in Law Enforcement, and Alabama Investigator Academy.
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall was on hand for the celebration, as were “Alabama” frontman and JSU alum Randy Owen and State Sens. Vivian Figures, Andrew Jones and Keith Kelly.
Marshall said the university’s investment in law enforcement professionalism couldn’t come at a better time.
“When you look at the value of what JSU has done, it is not just the investment in law enforcement – it is the fact that you have told a mother whose child is a victim of a violent crime that we are going to support you in finding the person who committed that offense and find justice,” Marshall said. “While you have had a broad impact on people who have come through these doors, it’s the communities in which they came from where you will make the most impact.”
According to a university release, Southeastern Command College is now enrolling for its first class of students. The program will concentrate on “general management and leadership principles, including conflict resolution, fiscal responsibilities, and the political, legal and social environment in law enforcement.”
Alabama law enforcement officers who hold the rank of sergeant or above may enroll free of charge.