Law Enforcement Executive Program (LEEP)

A proud tradition since the 1960s, the Law Enforcement Executive Program (LEEP) offers a leadership development option for agencies that require greater schedule flexibility. Twenty days of training are delivered over a six-month period of time, thereby allowing participants to return to their home agencies between three-day visits to NC State. 

The Law Enforcement Executive Program (LEEP) builds proactive leadership among law enforcement executives that enable them to manage their most critical current and future challenges effectively. Based on our participants’ previous education and experience, we assume those who enroll already have good basic managerial skills and a strong working knowledge of North Carolina local government and police service. LEEP builds on this foundation to enable you to:

• Explore current ideas and techniques of public management as they apply to police agencies;
• Sharpen the personal skills necessary to excel as police managers; and
• Step outside daily activities and responsibilities to think creatively about the job of managing a law enforcement agency in increasingly complex, uncertain and changing environments.

Program Objectives

• A focus on top-level law enforcement executives. To enhance the organizational impact of the program, preference will be given to chief law enforcement executives and their top-level staff (lieutenants and above), except in agencies where sergeants are part of the command staff and are, therefore, eligible to attend.
• Concentration on skills-based training. Instructors use instructional techniques that give students the opportunity to apply management and leadership theory to practical problem faced in law enforcement agencies. It is our expectation that students will be able to return to their agencies and apply the knowledge and skills they have gained – and be encouraged to do so by their agency heads. The major emphasis in LEEP is translating theory into practice. Part of the process of demonstrating understanding and application of the instruction will involve presentation of a case study where students will reorganize the mission, services, and structure of an agency in need of revitalization. Students will also make use of written exercises, discussion, and videotapes to demonstrate learned skills and application of the material shared in the classroom.
• Use of skilled public management trainers. The program is university based and will employ instructors who have demonstrated outstanding training skills with law enforcement managers.