Dozens of law enforcement officials from across the country gathered Wednesday at the Australian Embassy in Northwest D.C. to discuss strategies for strengthening partnerships with international police agencies.

It was part of the D.C. Police Leadership Academy, a program designed to develop law enforcement leaders.

“This program targets … mid-level ranks, which is typically lieutenant or captain,” said Jessica Bress, the director of the D.C. Police Department’s strategic projects office.

The department first started the program in early 2023.

It’s about three weeks long and includes seminars from law enforcement experts.

The latest class, which is set to graduate on Friday, has more than 70 people in it, including 19 from the D.C. police force. All the others are from various departments nationwide.

Bress said people generally join the program to “learn leadership skills, network and meet a group of like-minded colleagues from across the country.”

“The problems that we’re dealing with in policing and law enforcement in America are sometimes the same everywhere,” said Bress. “There are also some differences, and there’s always benefits from learning and getting exposure to agencies outside of our own.”

John Fitzgerald, a lieutenant detective with the Boston Police Department in Massachusetts, is among those graduating this week.

“I’m learning a lot from working with people from state, local, federal and international law enforcement,” said Fitzgerald. “What I’m getting from it is perspective on how other places do it.”

Fitzgerald said the program has focused on technology, evidence-based policing and teaching people how to lead by example.

“It’s leaders wanting to lead,” Fitzgerald said. “Everybody who’s here has asked to be here or … worked really hard to get a slot here, and that means a lot.”

According to Bress, Wednesday’s visit to the Australian Embassy demonstrated the importance of building relationships with international law enforcement agencies.

“In D.C., we have more exposure to it, but these are participants from across the country,” said Bress. “A lot of them probably aren’t even aware of these international liaison networks.”

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