Vol. 19, No. 12

Nov. 18, 1999

Public Safety officer graduates
from FBI National Academy

When it comes to law enforcement training, the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Va., is at the head of the class. Offering advanced investigative, management and fitness training for mid-career police officers with proven track records, the program is highly selective and draws police officers not only from around the country, but from around the world. This summer, Capt. Bill Katorkas, public safety, attended the federally funded academy at Quantico, for an 11-week session from July 11-Sept. 24, joining fellow police officers Jim Flatley and Larry Thornton as graduates of the prestigious program. "Delaware received two seats for this session, and I felt fortunate to be selected to attend the academy along with Lt. Mark Daniels of the Delaware State Police. The courses were informative and relevant, and the instructors, who were special agents, former agents or other experts in their fields, were world class. The program gave me a deeper understanding of law enforcement and new concepts and techniques to put into practice," Katorkas said. The courses, many of which are accredited by the University of Virginia, included an overview of forensic science, legal issues, stress management, leadership in law enforcement, media relations and fitness. The forensic course emphasized the techniques and management of a serious crime scene or disaster, Katorkas said. The Lockerbie air disaster in Scotland was a case in point. Debris, scattered for 800 square miles, was carefully gathered and preserved, and the plane was two-thirds rebuilt to recreate what occurred. Among the items collected were some pieces of clothing with the tags intact. These eventually led to a shop in Malta, where the son of the owner remembered the buyer, and that, in turn, led to the eventual arrest of the terrorists. "The message was that every bit of evidence is important and should be protected and examined," he said. Another part of the course was taught by a forensic computer scientist and dealt with methods of confiscating computer systems to preserve evidence of wrongdoing for the courts. The media relations course was taught by a former public affairs officer of the U.S. Marine Corps. "Part of police work is interaction with the media to keep the public informed. There are often live interviews at the scene of a crime or disaster, or interviews may take place in a studio. We were taught how to prepare ourselves for press conferences and to anticipate questions, as well as interact with media representatives on location," Katorkas said. "We toured the CNN studios in Washington, D.C., and had a chance to practice an interview. We also attended a conference there on teenage violence with keynote speaker James Earl Jones," he said. Leadership courses involved a history of leadership within the legal system. Another topic was intelligence-based community policing, where crime analysis information is gathered and local problems, such as gangs, are targeted. "In the near future, there will be a population explosion of youths between the ages of 14 and 24, and the demographics indicate that the increase of this age group in the general population may be reflected in the crime rate," Katorkas said. Being physically fit is essential for law enforcement officers. The physical fitness challenge program was self-paced, and participants gradually ran from two to seven miles, two of which included an obstacle course. Katorkas received an education outside of the classroom as well, interacting and comparing notes with other professional law enforcement officers, representing metropolitan, state and federal police agencies and the military. The police officers came from 49 states and 20 countries including Australia, Chile, South Korea, Austria, Germany and Great Britain. Katorkas was one of only three campus police in the class-the others coming from the City University of New York and a community college in Arizona. "All of us in the class networked, and I can call on others for advice and expertise. We all have a common mission to protect and serve, but police agencies have primary responsibilities related to the communities they serve-the state police patrol highways; the county police serve residential communities, city police departments serve their jurisdictions. As a campus police force, we have an open environment, primarily serving the UD community," he said. Katorkas was promoted to captain on Oct. 1 and assumed command of the Special Services Unit, which includes internal affairs, recruitment and training, event staffing and research and planning. He also organizes security planning for special events. "I learned at the academy that planning and preparation are the watchwords. There are many special events, attracting large groups of people on campus, and with an election year there will be more than usual. We have to be ready to oversee these occasions and also be prepared for unexpected events that may occur. Our overall goal is service, protection and the well being of the University community," Katorkas said. -Sue Moncure