The Shippensburg University Police Department’s Chief of Police and Director of Public Safety, Patrick Taylor, recently completed the acclaimed FBI Leadership Trilogy Series. This program is well-recognized for its rigorous and comprehensive approach to professional development within law enforcement leadership. Taylor’s completion of this program emphasizes his dedication to continuously improving his leadership abilities and encouraging his fellow officers to do the same.

The Trilogy Series includes the Supervisor Leadership Institute (SLI), the Command Leadership Institute (CLI) and the Executive Institute (ELI). Each course builds upon one another and provides participants with top-notch learning experiences in law enforcement and leadership.

SLI helps emerging law enforcement leaders transition into supervisory roles. “My original supervision training was back in 2009, so when I did the SLI two years ago, it refreshed the training that I had way back when,” Taylor explained. The program revisits foundational concepts while also incorporating new concepts and practices in law enforcement. “We’re starting to use some of those best practices here, and our goal is to build on that style of training for all of our supervisors.”

CLI, mid-level leaders focus on learning contemporary approaches to law enforcement leadership. This includes learning how to build an effective team and making strategic decisions. Taylor shared how the CLI’s discussion-based format provided him with the ability to navigate challenging leadership situations.

“The training puts you in the room with 20 to 30 other law enforcement executives, and it is a group discussion-based panel with leaders from across the country,” he explained.

This teamwork-oriented environment provided Taylor with a diverse range of perspectives on how to handle various issues and scenarios. Taylor has since carried the knowledge that he has gained and applies it to his work at Ship, allowing him to be a strong community leader on campus.

ELI educates leaders at the top level, such as chiefs and directors. Furthermore, it covers advanced topics like strategic planning, policy oversight and community engagement. A significant part of the Trilogy Series focuses on emotional and social intelligence. Taylor expanded upon why he believes it is important to understand his own personality and engage in self-reflection.

“Part of the training is doing personality assessments, understanding what your personality is and what your leadership style is so you can best serve those who are working with you,” Taylor noted.

He recognizes that leaders in law enforcement must be accustomed to working in a diverse environment of different generations and need to know how to deal with a wide range of reactions to challenging situations.

Taylor aims to create a workplace at Ship where employees feel valued, which then benefits the entire campus community.

“When our employees are valued, they transfer that out to the general public.” He is a strong advocate for the FBI Trilogy Series and encourages all law enforcement and SUPD employees to participate in the program. “If you’re in this business right now, this is some of the best training you can have, especially if you’re looking at promoting up into a supervisory role. I believe in it enough that I completed it, and we are going to be hosting all three courses here next year.”

In order to make the Trilogy Series more accessible for all, the SUPD will be hosting all three courses locally. This program was developed to take some of the key components of the FBI Trilogy Series hosted Quantico, Virginia  – this way, it is more readily available and affordable.

Taylor’s completion of the FBI Leadership Trilogy Series solidifies his motivation toward continuous improvement within law enforcement leadership and to carrying his knowledge over to the SUPD. His commitment toward ethical and modern leadership within law enforcement, as well as his drive toward encouraging his colleagues to also participate in the trilogy series is truly honorable. Ship is proud to have Taylor as the chief of police and active member of the campus community.