Courtesy Photo First Lt. John Grimshaw, commander of the Michigan State Police Alpena Post, at the FBI National Academy for law enforcement leaders in Quantico, Va. last month.

ALPENA — Better leaders mean better law enforcement.

That’s the premise behind the FBI National Academy, an 80-plus-year institution that draws together uniformed leaders from around the country and world with the goal of providing the best policing possible through centralized training.

First Lt. John Grimshaw, commander of the Michigan State Police-Alpena Post, returned Dec. 20 from 11 weeks at the academy, an invitation-only opportunity, ready to put to work the training he received to help better protect and serve the people of Northeast Michigan.

Joining 257 other police higher-ups from 17 states and 35 countries, Grimshaw spent the better part of three months at the FBI campus in Quantico, Virginia receiving leadership training and forging networks that reach around the world.

Classroom lectures were interspersed with research, group work, and intense physical fitness training, Grimshaw said on Thursday.

Classroom work covered a wide variety of law enforcement-related topics, from recruitment and retention to homelessness to the importance of sleep.

A class on cybersecurity shared grim details, Grimshaw said, giving an in-depth analysis of the potential destructive harm of hackers, either internal or overseas, gaining access to the classified information, electric grids, proprietary information, or health records of American citizens and businesses.

“It could really change the world in a hurry,” Gramshaw said.

A new State Police cybersecurity unit fights scams, hacks, and other digital attacks, he reported.

The academy trained leaders to lead effectively when critical incidents occur, bringing in presenters who were present at Sandy Hook, Parkland, and other nationally publicized school shootings to share their experiences and expertise.

A research project and group presentation on law enforcement’s relationship with transgender people was eye-opening, Grimshaw said. His group shared findings about how hiring practices are affected by gender choices and the complications inherent in arresting a transgender person, from who conducts a search to where an inmate is lodged in the county jail.

One class, Grimshaw said, gave tips on how to communicate with the media. Professionals from Fox News and ABC News offered insight on what the media needs from police to prevent inaccurate information from being disseminated, suggesting a balance between law enforcement’s need to protect investigations and the media’s job of getting news to the public.

The Quantico training included a rigorous physical component.

Weekly “Wizard of Oz”-themed physical challenges — from the Tin Man Trot to a Cyclone that only lasted 17 minutes (“but it was complete hell,” Grimshaw said) — led up to the ultimate physical challenge at the end of the training, a 6.2-mile endurance course up hills, over walls, through rivers, into ravines, and across nets. Those who complete the Yellow Brick Road challenge are awarded a yellow brick to memorialize their achievement.

“It was quite challenging,” Grimshaw said, a painted yellow brick on the shelf near his elbow.

The Alpena Post commander hopes to incorporate physical training skills at the post, adding to the mandatory physical fitness test already in place. He hopes to add a few pieces of equipment to the post’s already crowded workout room, which is used regularly by troopers.

Enhancing the networking created by the intimacy of weeks of intensive study and physical challenge, the academy offered social opportunities, from trips to Philadelphia and New York City to a charity auction that raised $20,000 to an international night featuring exotic foods from the countries represented by the leaders-in-training.

As part of one class, academy participants wrote an introspective paper evaluating their personal leadership style, and another reflecting on the legacy they wanted to leave.

The goal of the academy, Grimshaw said, is to prepare police leaders to lead their departments better.

“One hundred percent, that is what you want your police to do: to keep you safe,” Grimshaw said. “If I can do that, I can sail off into the sunset just fine.”

Julie Riddle can be reached at 989-358-5693, jriddle@thealpenanews.com or on Twitter @jriddleX.