FBI course hones state law officers' policing skills

Back at work after a three-month absence, Minnesota's participants in a recent FBI National Academy in Quantico, Va., are already being tapped for expertise in police matters.

The issue? How officers respond to burglaries in progress, primarily what Minnesota law requires regarding the use of lights and sirens.

And who was asking? A fellow Fall 2007 graduate, whose state limits an officer's ability to respond quietly to such incidents, Sherburne County Sheriff's Capt. Joel Brott said.

Brott, one of four Minnesotans to take part in the academy's 231st session, wouldn't say much more -- the issue involves police strategies, after all -- but he cited the query as an example of the networking made possible through participation in the FBI program.

Maplewood Police Lt. Dave Kvam, who also attended, said he, too, plans to build on such connections by bringing to his department -- for a two-day workshop this fall -- an FBI instructor who taught him about analyzing interview statements as an investigative tool.

For 11 weeks, Minnesota's contingent trained and studied alongside about 300 other law-enforcement officials in northern Virginia. They took part in fitness challenges inspired by the Wizard of Oz, culminating in a 6.3-mile Yellow Brick Road, and dug into course work that delivered college credits.

There also were memorable day trips to national landmarks and fun get-togethers, as well.

Joel Brott

Age: 41

Title: Investigative Captain

Agency: Sher- burne County Sheriff's Office

Getting fit: Brott lost about 7 pounds, and 3 percent of his body fat, as result of a nutrition and fitness course required of all academy participants. He also took part in a voluntary 34-mile swim challenge, he said.

Taking time out: After forging a relationship with a Secret Service agent, Brott and a few other academy members were given a tour of the West Wing of the White House.

Milo Dahlin

Age: 44

Title: Chief Deputy

Agency: Steele County Sheriff's Office

Going to school: Dahlin said he's looking forward to employing lessons learned in classes on labor law and on interpersonal communications for law-enforcement executives. "Perceptive listening" is key, he said Friday.

Cultural understanding: Giving a thumbs-up sign, he learned, can be a derogatory gesture to people of other nations. For International Night, during which participants from abroad offered food and drink from their embassies, Dahlin had his "breath taken away," he said, by what is referred to as "Romanian rocket fuel." Dave Kvam

Age: 40

Title: Lieutenant

Agency: Maplewood Police Department

Going to school: Using a Maplewood assault case as a class project, Kvam got confirmation that a witness' statement was rich in investigative possibilities. The witness, as it has turned out, is a suspect, though not yet charged.

Cultural understanding: In discussions with fellow academy members, including Garry Vardon-Smith, inspector in the Avon & Somerset Constabulary, of Bristol, England, Kvam learned that crime problems abroad are not all that different from those at home. Also, Kvam, a light drinker, advises: Be wary of rice wine.

Eric Werner

Age: 41

Title: Captain

Getting fit: Lost 14 pounds, and has dropped another 3 pounds since. "I've kept up the routine, and my wife has joined up in it, too," he said.

Bringing it home: The classwork confirmed for him the value of "intelligence-led policing," where the sharing of information is paramount, including within law enforcement agencies and also between police and block club captains, for example.

Taking time out: Touring the U.S. Supreme Court, where decisions important to policing, such as the Miranda decision, were handed down, "was very humbling," Werner said.

Words of advice: As Maple Grove's police chief told Werner before he went, "develop holistically," the captain said. With the academic and fitness elements, and the opportunities to connect with others, Werner added, it's a goal that can be easily achieved.

The academy's 232nd class is now in session.