Two Rutherford County Sheriff’s supervisors learned management and leadership skills during a 12-week course at the Southern Police Institute at the University of Louisville.

Detention Lt. Chris Beach and Patrol Sgt. Chris Owens were two of 39 law enforcement supervisors who graduated from the Administrative Officers Course and the Police Executive Leadership Undergraduate Program. 

The course is designed to develop informed, effective, ethically and technically competent law enforcement managers who are capable of assuming positions of leadership in their respective agencies. Students receive instruction in law enforcement issues, problem solving and administrative law.

Sheriff Robert Arnold said Lt. Beach and Sgt. Owens are among several supervisors who completed management and leadership classes.

“We are creating leaders for the future,” Sheriff Arnold said.

During the class, Lt. Beach and Sgt. Owens earned 15 hours of college credit. The classes included organizational behavior, managing organizations, law enforcement administration, leadership, legal issues in law enforcement and budgeting.

Lt. Beach said the class helped students how to be a better leader.

“It turned a one-dimensional leader into a four-dimensional leader,” Lt. Beach said. “The better the leadership, the more efficient that unit will be. It really develops people into leaders and better managers.”

Sgt. Owens said he learned new techniques of leadership and opened up a new world of research.

“The school opened my eyes to a new era of policing, a new way to police your community no matter what the size,” Sgt. Owens said. “The education was wonderful but the contacts and the knowledge you get from other officers is unbelievable. No matter the size of the department or the size of your community, all police officers are the same and we deal with the same problems of staffing, pay and salary.”

Lt. Beach received the B. Edward Campbell Service Award for meritorious service to fellow officers during the course by showing leadership and commitment to the objectives of the course.