“你在向最重要的执法机构学习”

当史蒂夫·马丁加诺抓住障碍物顶部的绳子时，由于上周末的暴风雨，地面是湿的, 第三个在比赛的第一英里处隐藏在弗吉尼亚山麓深处. Not realizing his grip would take the slack from the rope, he slipped halfway down, hitting both his knees.

Martingano still had five miles to go.

Navigating the U.S. 海军建造的课程是世界上少数人的特权——它构成了体能挑战的最后测试，这是Quantico联邦调查局国家学院的一部分, Virginia. 美国只有不到1%的警察被邀请参加这个为期10周的项目, which offers advanced leadership, communication and fitness training. Successfully traversing the grueling course, known as the Yellow Brick Road, affirms completion of an experience respected worldwide. RTD副局长考虑了这一切，他在终点敲响了钟，并获得了一块纪念黄砖.

“整个项目让人筋疲力尽——精神上、身体上、情感上，”马丁加诺说. “Just having it (the brick) is an accomplishment.”

Martingano – who began his law enforcement career 30 years ago, 与纽约市警察局合作-是RTD运输警察局第一个完成国家学院的成员. He graduated Sept. 14 as a member of the 287th session, 这个班级包括来自46个州和华盛顿州的199名执法人员, D.C. 这些机构涵盖21个国家、4个军事组织和3个联邦民间组织. 马丁加诺是来自科罗拉多州的四名参与者之一.

“It’s such a small group, but it’s so far-reaching,” Martingano said, 指的是被美国国家科学院录取的少数人以及它在世界范围内的影响力. To have completed the program, he added, is a huge accomplishment: “It’s the FBI at the end of the day. You’re learning from the premier law enforcement organization.”

马丁加诺对国家学院的兴趣是在他参加了联邦调查局在戈尔登开设的一所地区指挥学院后激起的. 阿瓦达和丹佛警察局的前同事, where Martingano worked before joining RTD, 参加过国家科学院，并告诉他这是一流的经历. 参与者通常回到他们的机构担任行政级别的职位.

RTD maintains an excellent working relationship with the FBI, Martingano noted, and both entities work together on issues of mutual interest. After petitioning for more than four years, 马丁加诺被告知他很适合进入国家学院, 这些警官平均有21年的执法经验. 今年春天，有人问他是否有兴趣参加7月份的培训班.

“It was a huge time commitment,” Martingano said. “我无法感谢首席执行官、指挥人员和(总经理兼首席执行官)黛布拉. Johnson) enough for allowing me to go. My colleagues stepped up and took over a lot of my duties. My family gave up their summer. They knew this was something I wanted to do.”

大多数参与者在本国机构的级别从中尉到局长不等, Martingano pointed out, but at Quantico, “you are the same as everybody else. Titles mean something within decision-making, but that title doesn’t entitle you to anything different. People are people. In class, they were just their names.”

自负的人必须在门口被检查:同学们被安排两个人住一个宿舍，四个人住一个浴室. A uniform was required. Days began at 7:30 a.m. 人们在联邦调查局训练学院的自助餐厅用餐, 也是联邦调查局训练新特工和情报分析员的地方. 参观活动经常在进行中，来自其他国家的政要参观了这个建筑群.

The buildings themselves are hallowed ground, 走在走廊上的经历很难用语言来表达, Martingano said. “It’s been there forever. The people who have gone through there, the library and all the books, you think, who has thumbed through these pages?”

这些课程的特色是优秀的教师，他们探索了学生们感兴趣的领域, including community policing, organizational management and leadership, and public speaking. One course delved into ChatGPT, drones and robotics.

Beyond classroom lessons, Martingano said, 这段经历中最棒的部分是学生们——他们带来的观察和观点, and the lessons and ideas everyone shared. 他指出，其他国家的机构采取不同的警务方式.

与传统的警察学院不同，在传统的警察学院里，警官们常常害怕举手，而联邦调查局的教官们认识到房间里的人带来的经验.

“They know that if someone in class is going to speak, 他们可能会和团队分享一些相关的东西,” Martingano said. “Here, you’re in a group of your peers. You’re going to learn something from somebody. And you realize you can offer a lot.”

同学们公开谈论招聘和留用问题, for example, and shared what they were doing to combat them. 一些对话探讨了社区治安和青年参与, 这让马丁加诺开始考虑交通警察局能做些什么来与年轻人建立关系, now that the Zero Fare for Youth program is in place. “我们将成为他们乘坐公共汽车或火车时首先看到的人,” he observed.

Dr. Joel Fitzgerald Sr., RTD’s Chief of Police and Emergency Management, has completed the FBI National Executive Institute, 专为主要城市长官和助理长官准备的独家节目. “联邦调查局国家学院是一次千载难逢的经历，它挑战参与者成为更好的自己, both as law enforcement professionals and as people,” he said. “当副局长马丁加诺在这段专注的时间后回到工作岗位, 他将带来有利于我们不断发展的部门的观察和观点，并为我们的工作提供战略重点.”

马丁加诺指出，国家学院在联邦调查局和警察部门之间建立了重要的合作关系——每一种类型的执法都需要对方. 无论他的同学来自像他开始职业生涯的那个大部门，还是来自只有三名军官的部门，每个人都以同样的课程毕业.

“At the end of the day, we all have the same job,“ he said. “如果你们不互相学习，你们就永远不会成长.”