Effective leadership training for police leaders is essential because it helps shift an agency’s culture from being purely regulatory to more service-oriented, which can strengthen public trust, improve officer safety, and support individual development. Leadership training empowers officers and supervisors to improve decision-making in high-pressure situations, reduces misconduct through ethical accountability and transparency, and improves morale.
In order to lead effectively and morally, police leaders need leadership training that provides skills in communication, emotional intelligence, team building, providing direction and guidance, decision-making, and conflict resolution. Leadership training is also key to developing the skills needed to create a culture of continuous learning within the organization, such as fostering a culture that emphasizes the proper use of after-action reviews.
A 2025 study by the Institute for Law Enforcement Administration (ILEA) found that law enforcement leadership training programs that are rooted in communication, ethics, and accountability shift a supervisor’s mindset toward service-oriented policing, an approach that increases public satisfaction, safety, and community cooperation.
In other words, the right leadership training can change mindsets when officers begin to see themselves as service-driven leaders and bring that perspective back to their agencies, which can prompt organizational changes and improve relationships with the communities they serve.
Research Shows High-Performing Agencies Provide Advanced Leadership Training
The League of Minnesota Cities Insurance Trust (LMCIT) recently completed the fourth year of a research initiative with Benchmark Analytics, named the iMPACT Project, to utilize predictive analysis to identify risk factors facing Minnesota law enforcement agencies and to provide evidence-based recommendations for approaches to address these risks.
One part of the research focused on advanced leadership training and whether it helps reduce risk. The study looked for connections between strong leadership development and better outcomes for both the public and law enforcement agencies. The research showed a strong correlation between leadership training and a reduction in both the severity and total loss of workers’ compensation and auto claims for agencies in the years after the practice was implemented.
Further, the research found that agencies with command staff skilled in advanced leadership fostered cultures of excellence, purpose, and pride in service excellence. In addition, the research showed that agencies that provide advanced leadership training — along with having a clear mission statement and core values and a focus on normalizing officer mental health and wellness — also saw reduced turnover.
Leadership Training Available
LMCIT’s Peace Officer Accredited Training Online (PATROL) program, in collaboration with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA), is developing a new series of leadership courses. The first course looks at the importance of trust and legitimacy at the individual level and how trust impacts the relationship between leaders and followers. Additional courses to be released in the coming months in this leadership series focus on topics such as succession planning and leadership transitions, how to set yourself up to be a successful supervisor, and practical skills for good leaders.
There are a variety of additional advanced leadership training opportunities to enhance the professional development of law enforcement leaders and elevate policing and ethical standards within your agency. These trainings are for police officers at all levels, including mid- to senior-level leaders, and are available in Minnesota and at the national level. Some of the advanced leadership training opportunities available include:
·
PATROL Online Leadership and Trust Training (LMCIT)
·
FBI-LEEDA Command Leadership Institute (CLI)
·
FBI-LEEDA Executive Leadership Institute
(ELI)
·
FBI-LEEDA Five Star Chief Executive
Institute
·
FBI-LEEDA Leadership Integrity (LI)
·
FBI-LEEDA Leading Edge Mindset:
Frontline Leadership
·
FBI-LEEDA Online Distance Learning
·
FBI-LEEDA Supervisor Leadership
Institute
(SLI)
·
FBINAA Leadership Certification Program (FBINAA)
·
FBI National Academy (FBINA)
·
IACP First-Line Leadership Training (FLL)
·
IACP Chiefs Leadership Certificate
Program
(IACP)
·
IACP Leadership in Police Organizations (LPO)
·
Law Enforcement Executive Development
Seminar
(LEEDS)
·
Law Enforcement Supervisors Leadership
Training Program (LESLTP)
·
MCPA Executive Leadership College (MCPA)
·
MN Advanced Leadership Academy (MCPA)
·
MN BCA Senior Leadership Development
Training Program (BCA)
·
MN BCA Supervision Development Training
Program
(BCA)
·
MN CLEO and Command Academy (MCPA)
·
MN Fall Leadership Summit (MCPA)
·
MN Leadership Academy (MCPA)
· Northwestern School of Police Staff & Command (SPSC)
·
PERF Senior Management Institute for
Police
(SMIP)
·
Police Executive Leadership Institute (Major Cities Chiefs
Association)
· Southern Police Institute (SPI)
Questions?
I am available to answer any questions about this ongoing research or the various advanced leadership training courses available to your agency. I can be contacted at 763-232-5328 or tstille@lmc.org.
Stay Safe,
Tracy
