A new graduate certificate focusing on public service leadership is being added to Washington State University Spokane#s criminal justice program. The certificate was developed as a partnership between the Washington State Institute for Community Oriented Policing at WSU Spokane, the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Association and the Washington Associate of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs.
Course work will be available in western Washington at the Criminal Justice Training Commission in Burien. Program organizers plan to offer the courses in Spokane only if there is sufficient demand.
The certificate combines graduate-level inquiry and theoretical examination with an applied, hands-on practitioner-based senior mentoring program. The purpose of the program is to foster the development of emerging leaders in criminal justice and related public service fields.
Experiences designed into the program expose candidates to the various tasks and situations encountered by executive administrators. Senior law enforcement executives serving as mentors to the public service graduate certificate program include Ann Kirkpatrick, Federal Way police chief; Bruce Bjork, Fish and Wildlife chief; Paul Pastor, Pierce County sheriff; Denise Petony, Shoreline police chief; Garry Anderson, Renton police chief; Bob Carden, Marysville police chief; and Rob Sofie, Snohomish police chief.
Completion of the 12-credit certificate fulfills the majority of the elective requirements for executive career-level certification from the CJTC. Some credits may also be applied to the M.A. in criminal justice available at WSU Spokane and on WSU’s Pullman campus.
For more information on the certificate, contact Mike Erp, erpmj@wsu.edu, (509) 358-7951, or see www.spokane.wsu.edu/academic/crim_j/certificate/index.asp.
