The DeRidder Police Department has achieved a goal that many law enforcement offices are unable to reach. All six active members of the DPD command staff have earned the FBI-LEEDA Agency Trilogy Award for completing all three levels of the Trilogy Series.

Chief of Police Craig Richard, Deputy Chief Darren Hall, Lt. Gene Clark, Sgt. Thurman Buckley, Lt. John Davidson and Lt. Kristopher Pruett were presented with a certificate by Retired Sheriff of Travis County in Texas Greg Hamilton, former president of FBI-LEEDA, at the DeRidder City Council meeting on Monday.

FBI-LEEDA provides opt-in leadership education for law enforcement professionals across the United States. The Trilogy Series is made up of three tiers of curriculum: Supervisor Leadership Institute, Command Leadership Institute and Executive Leadership Institute.

Hamilton said that the mission is to “advance the science and art of law enforcement leadership and promote the exchange of information to improve law enforcement management practices through training education and networking among police professionals across the United States.”

This is the first time he has visited an agency where all of the leaders have completed the required courses to earn the award. As a result, the City of DeRidder has an irreplaceable police force, he said.

“The knowledge that they have gained, the people that they have met, is priceless. … You’ve got a great group of people. You are fortunate.”

Richard told the American Press that it is difficult for law enforcement agencies to have a full house of trilogy award holders because of timing. Law enforcement that enroll in the courses are sent to locations throughout the country for a week at a time to complete the curriculum.

“It’s rare for agencies to be able to complete that with the staff still being on duty. … We just happened to hit it just right, that all of the men here, all of my executive staff, held the same trilogy together”

It took him two to three years to earn his Trilogy award in 2019, the same year he was appointed Chief.

The mission to ensure every DPD leader completes the Trilogy series was started by the previous administration, but the goal remains the same: to learn administrative interpersonal and intrapersonal skills to better lead and supervise DPD staff. A healthy administrative staff helps maintain morale and increase officer retention, he said. These are practices that can be seen in any workplace

“In law enforcement, we’re not different than any other industry. We’re humans too.”

Officers receiving FBI-LEEDA training is now a standard at DPD, and Richard said they plan to send six more officers to training soon.

The DPD leadership team will continue their leadership training at the FBI-LEEDA 32nd annual executive training conference in San Antonio in the spring of 2024.