Duffus graduates from prestigious school of police staff and command

No matter what your profession, there’s always something new to learn.

Recently, Osceola Police Chief Marty Duffus graduated from Northwestern University’s School of Police Staff and Command.

“It was very beneficial in the long run to me, and it’ll be beneficial to the city,” Duffus said.

There are three executive leadership and management schools in the country for police and sheriff departments. One of them is at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.

Northwestern University’s Command and Police School has earned the reputation as the worldwide leader in law enforcement professional development, management and education.

In Marshalltown

Duffus took a 10-week course, which was divided into two-week segments for five months. The classes were held in Marshalltown.

“Ever since I’ve been in law enforcement, I knew these schools existed,” Duffus said. “For 34 years, I’ve known that these were out there but never had the opportunity to attend. So, when this one came into Marshalltown, I decided I was going to take advantage of that opportunity. Obviously, I’m glad I did.”

Duffus received his diploma during a graduation ceremony held Friday, Feb. 12, in Marshalltown.

Courses

For the diploma, a person has to go through the school’s courses, which include traffic management, budgeting skills, employee relations and federal law. There were also exams and written term papers due.

“It’s intensive, and you have to keep up with it or you’re out,” Duffus said.

Even though Duffus has been in law enforcement for a long time, these courses taught him new things to do with his job, as well as how to do things differently but still efficiently.

Instructors from across the U.S. help teach the courses.

“You get to see what other agencies all over the country are experiencing, and some of the things they do in response to problems they’ve had, that maybe are similar to what you’re seeing,” Duffus said.

Reasoning

The courses helped to give Duffus mathematical abilities to make decisions within the police department that are based on sound facts and numbers. Instead of a police chief always saying, “I know I’m right. You have to follow me,” the chief can also provide exact reasoning.

“This way, I can go through the steps and show this is exactly the reason why something (works), and this is what we need to do with it,” Duffus said.