Local Beaumont, CA officers attend special FBI training course

The FBI runs several specialized courses at Quantico // Source: lhup.edu

Officers from the local police department in Beaumont, California have been selected to attend a special law enforcement training course at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia.

Located on a Marine base, the FBI Academy is highly selective, only choosing an estimated 1 percent of law enforcement officials in the United States to attend the special training.

So far the Beaumont police department has had several officers selected for the program by the FBI. The ten week program consists of rigorous physical training as well as thorough lessons in various law enforcement challenges in the classroom.
Commander Scott G. Beard, who just completed the course, said, “The academy is like a cross between a college dorm on the academic side and a boot camp on the physical fitness side.”

“I’ve been able to learn about new technology and develop a phenomenal network through this experience. I believe this experience will make me a better law enforcement leader in Beaumont,” he added.

In the classroom, Beard’s courses included Computer Environments for Law Enforcement, Investigative Interviewing, Youth Violence, and Labor Law Issues for Law Enforcement Administrators.

Police Chief Frank Coe, who attended the academy in 2006, recalls his time there fondly.

“It’s an experience that I will never forget — something that I will always treasure,” he said.

“In 10 weeks, we all became like family. And to this day, we still have a world-wide law enforcement network that each of us can turn to for answers and support.”

Law enforcement officials train and live together in close quarters in an isolated, heavily wooded facility to help forge networks. Coe says he learned critical lessons from the experiences of his classmates, including a patrolman from North Carolina, an officer with the Denmark National Police, and a state trooper from Alaska.

Commander Sean Thuillez is slated to attend the academy next and he is actively training for the course running up to 10.5 miles a day.

Thuillez joined the Beaumont police department in 2007 and was quickly promoted from a corporal to a sergeant, lieutenant, and most recently a division commander.

Last year, he earned a masters of arts degree in management.

“I want to grow as a manager and a leader, I want to know what works and what doesn’t,” he said.

Academy life consists of classes that begin at 8 am and end at 5:30 pm, where students then have to complete homework assignments or projects. Attendees must also complete mandatory physical fitness training for two hours a day, three days a week.

Law enforcement officials call it the “West Point of law enforcement.”