The Marana Police Department will be represented at the next FBI National Academy (FBI NA). Lieutenant Tim Brunenkant will attend the 10-week academy beginning July 8.

The FBI National Academy is dedicated to improving the standards of law enforcement. There are four academy sessions held each year (Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall sessions) and Brunentkant is attending the summer session ‘Class #277’ from July 8th to September 13th.

“This program will assist in my personal and professional growth as a lieutenant with the Police Department,” Brunenkant said.

Each class consists of 250 law enforcement executives from throughout the United States with approximately 30 international law enforcement officers. In order to attend, a candidate must be a Lieutenant or higher, and must be nominated by their Chief of Police.

“I am very excited for the challenge that is ahead of me,” said Brunenkant. “This program has been a longtime career goal of mine, and I am truly honored and humbled for the opportunity to be attending.”

The program consists of undergraduate and graduate level classes that focus on leadership, executive development, and health and wellness. These courses are taught by FBI instructors and professional educators from the University of Virginia.

“The coursework I will be taking includes Critical Analysis of Present Day Policing, Managing Organizational Change and Development, and Advanced Concepts and Wellness,” Brunenkant said. “I plan to bring back what I have learned, and share with the Marana Police Department and the Town.”

In addition to course work, physical fitness is a big component of the FBI NA program. Attendees participate in daily workouts consisting of weekly ‘fitness challenges’. The weekly challenges get more difficult each week, and prepares participants for the final challenge called ‘The Yellow Brick Road’, which is a 6-mile run/obstacle course through the wooded trails of Quantico, VA.

‘The Yellow Brick Road’ fitness challenge/Photo FBI.gov

The final component of the program is networking and enrichment. There are several themed events that bring the 250 students together to share their thoughts and experiences. There is a Silent Auction night to raise money for charity, International Night where the international students present food(s) from their region to eat, and Patch/Coin Collection Night where students exchange items from their agencies.