Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command

Course Description

To register for this course click HERE.

The School of Police Staff and Command (SPSC) is an intensive ten-week program that prepares law enforcement managers for senior positions by uniquely combining academic principles with practical applications.

Since the program launched in 1983, the SPSC has received enthusiastic response from executives and participants throughout the country. In 2012, the program was redesigned and the course curriculum updated to better incorporate adult- and problem-based learning models.

In order to provide flexibility for departments, the revised School of Police Staff and Command is offered on-ground at locations throughout the U.S. and around the world and is also available online.

Areas of Focus

Program Outcomes
Students who successfully complete SPSC are better prepared to:

• Think globally rather than remain task-oriented
• Deliver services effectively and efficiently
• Get things done with people
• Analyze the environment
• Mitigate legal exposure
• Develop systems of accountability

Why Register for SPSC?
Improve Your Agency
Research is a key component of SPSC, and all students are required to write an objective, well-documented staff study addressing a problem or issue currently affecting the student’s organization. Because the student’s research project comes directly from a timely and critical issue facing that student’s agency, the knowledge gained can be put to use immediately.

Build Relationships
Student interaction is an important part of the SPSC experience. Fellow students are knowledgeable and experienced public safety professionals, and course activities are designed to allow for students to learn from one another’s experiences and to build relationships and develop resources that will last long after the course has ended.

Earn College Credit
Graduates of SPSC are eligible to receive 6 units of credit under the Northwestern University quarter system.

Who Should Attend?
SPSC is a dynamic police management program designed to prepare today's progressive public safety managers for senior command positions and is intended for mid- and upper-level supervisory personnel.

It is expected that participating students have at least two years of supervisory experience and are prepared to complete upper-division (i.e., junior and senior level) university course work.

Upper division university course work presumes that a student has the ability to:

• Write a research paper
• Perform arithmetic operations and understand elementary algebraic notation
• Read, comprehend and retain assigned materials based on textbooks, professional journals, trade magazines and other sources
• Schedule time to complete out-of-class reading and writing assignments

SPSC is not appropriate for entry-level officers, deputies or troopers. It is recommended that personnel who have recently been appointed to their first supervisory position attend NUCPS's Supervision of Police Personnel on-ground or online.

To ensure that SPSC students have sufficient time to attend class and complete out-of-class assignments, students should be released from their normal job responsibilities. Students are required to have access to the internet for grade retrieval and course communication.

Faculty
NUCPS courses are directed and taught by professional staff members of the Center for Public Safety.

Many instructors are former law enforcement officers with an aggregate of over 200 years of enforcement experience. Guest lecturers, including several NUCPS graduates, supplement the faculty and come from law enforcement agencies, educational institutions and national organizations

Course Materials