WINHALL -- Winhall Police Chief Jeffery L. Whitesell has
just returned from 10 weeks at the FBI National Academy
at Quantico, Va., a highly intensive, specialized training
given to .5 percent of upper level law enforcement
officers.

Whitesell said the National Academy training - in session
since 1935 - is broken down into three parts: academics,
physical fitness and rapport-building with other law
enforcement agencies.

What the specialized training does in part is to facilitate
communication within one's own and other departments,
Whitesell said.

For instance, if the Winhall Police Department was contending with fugitive from
Tennessee, Whitesell said he could contact any number of other law enforcement
officers from Tennessee who also attended the National Academy for more
information.

"It's those types of friendships and relationships that you make at the National
Academy that are invaluable," he said. "It opens the doors for you and your
agency."

The academics taught at the academy are all accredited by the University of
Virginia, Whitesell said, and the classes can all be counted toward both
bachelor's and master's level credits.

The five disciplines focused on are forensic science, behavioral science, legal
studies, leadership, and communications, he said.

One of Whitesell's main focuses in his studies at the academy was community
policing, which fit under the auspices of behavioral science. It became clear to
Whitesell that community policing is something more than a policy or a program.

"Community policing can't be approached as a program. It's a philosophy. It has
to be something the community wants to engage in. It really has to be a
partnership between the community and police department," said Whitesell.

"That's where a lot of agencies fall down, they approach it as a program."

Whitesell is looking forward to doing some rapport-building with local business
people and other community members in Winhall to tackle the problem of
drunken driving, burglary and other quality of life issues. Whitesell said the
burglary numbers for this year have already doubled last year's.

Another class Whitesell took was critical incident management, which was taught
by the FBI's child abduction response team. The class taught Whitesell and
others how to handle a critical case from the "big picture," or managerial point of
view.

This class focused on everything from homicides to lost and missing children.
One of the guest speakers was the lead investigator of the JonBenet Ramsey
case. The class also reviewed the O.J. Simpson case, which changed the way all
police departments conduct investigations, Whitesell said.

The academy also had a large physical fitness component. Whitesell participated
in runs, push ups and sit ups, and even completed the famed "Yellow Brick
Road," the Marine Corps obstacle course at Quantico.

Through the intense physical training, Whitesell shaved two inches off his waist,
lost 15 pounds and dropped almost two minutes off the time of his
one-and-a-half-mile run.

"They push you physically in addition to academically," he said.

Rapport-building with other law enforcement agencies - including the FBI - starts
from the very minute one lands in Quantico, Whitesell said. He was in the 210th
academy with policemen and women from all over the United States and just
about every other continent. There were officers from Colombia, Argentina,
Japan, Australia, Jordan, Lebanon, Thailand and many others.

"It was really neat to interact with them and see how they police," said Whitesell.

Whitesell's suitemates were from Savannah, Ga., and Romania. He said it was
easier to understand the fellow from Romania.

The key here is the information exchange, Whitesell said. Although most towns
see themselves as different, Whitesell said the problems police departments face
are similar and they can help each other with solutions from experience.

"There's no sense in reinventing the wheel if another agency has solved a
problem already," he said.

The academy also organized field trips to the Holocaust Museum and the Law
Enforcement Officers' Memorial, which Whitesell said were the most moving parts
of trip.

On a related note, Bennington's Police Chief Rick Gauthier has been accepted
into the academy as well, according to a memorandum issued by Bennington
Town Manager Stu Hurd. Gauthier be going to participate in the 10-week course
at Quantico beginning Jan. 12, 2003, and will be using the credits to pursue a
master's degree when he returns.

"It gives him training he would not be able to get at a seminar," Hurd said in
announcing Gauthier's acceptance at the academy at Monday night's Select
Board meeting.

..."FBI National Academy
at Quantico, Va., a highly intensive, specialized training
given to .5 percent of upper level law enforcement
officers."

1) First of all, why would they have a rookie investigator speak to this level of law enforcement? I KNOW that every man and woman in that room has more experience than Thomas. ("upper level" gives it away).

2) Is it possible that they let him speak, then after he left the room an expert FBI trainer discussed how the JBR case got totally screwed up?

3) Maybe Thomas should have stuck around for the "Cooperating with other agencies- 101."

No question about it, Thomas is articulate and has all of the outward appearances of being an effective speaker. Based on the FBI's performance in big cases over the last decade, I would say it is a perfect match.

Seems someone has been, for all intents and purposes, gagged.

He may have won the right to discuss his book but I think he is wary of making a mistake and getting personally sued for his talk - - the publisher wouldn't be the one getting sued if he is sued for a speech.