Learning to lead—from experienced, accomplished law enforcement leaders

Law Enforcement Executive Management concentration in the Berkeley College MBA program prepares law enforcement professionals for future success

Mid-career law enforcement officers often find themselves at a crossroads. They have enough time on the job to retire, yet they’re typically still only in their 40s. Do they continue in law enforcement, seeking higher-level leadership positions? Or, do they transition from law enforcement to a management position in a different type of government organization or private sector company?

That’s where Berkeley College comes in.

Opportunities for career advancement

The Law Enforcement Executive Management (LEEM) concentration within the College’s Master of Business (MBA) in Management program offers the chance to enhance skills and add the credentials to expand their career opportunities and increase their earning potential.

“Law enforcement professionals have important decisions to make at this point in their careers,” according to Dr. David A. Glazer, Professor and Director of the MBA program in the Larry L. Luing School of Business® at Berkeley College. “They typically either continue on, aspiring to higher-level management positions within law enforcement, or they leverage their experience and credentials to land a management position in private industry.”

Marketable skills to stand out

“The LEEM concentration in the Berkeley MBA program can help make law enforcement professionals more effective as commanding officers and make them more competitive for promotions,” noted Dr. Allen R. Sondej, a Justice Studies - Criminal Justice professor who teaches courses within the MBA program. “The concentration can also give them the critical added value of marketable skills if and when they move on to a post-law enforcement career.”

In addition to the business aspects of the MBA curriculum, the LEEM concentration consists of four focused elective courses within the 12-course MBA program: Law Enforcement Executive Accountability, Law Enforcement Executive Leadership, Crisis Leadership, and Law Enforcement Executive Policy and Planning. “The LEEM concentration offers distinct advantages over other programs, such as a Master of Public Administration (MPA) or a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice,” Dr. Glazer maintained. “The concentration, in conjunction with the strength of the MBA program, combines to fill a niche that simply doesn’t exist anywhere else in the area.”

Key differences set the Berkeley program apart

“Professors with exceptional experience and qualifications are a tremendous advantage in the LEEM concentration at Berkeley College,” Dr. Glazer added. “They're scholar-practitioners. They’ve done what they teach—they’re not just from academia. They’ve been commanding officers. Some have military backgrounds or have high-level experience with government agencies. All this combines for a learning experience for our students that is simply unparalleled.”

Students benefit from faculty expertise

Dr. Sondej, as an example, brings a wealth of experience to the program. In addition to serving in the U.S. Marine Corps Military Police (and being recalled to active duty for Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm), he retired as a captain in a mid-sized New Jersey police department following a 25-year career. He has also served as Director of Training for a non-profit law enforcement training organization and as consultant specializing in risk and liability mitigation for corporations. An accomplished author, he is also actively involved in several law enforcement programs and coalitions, including initiatives focused on training, policy-making, and other key aspects of law enforcement.

Dr. Sondej is also a graduate of the FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Seminar.
As well as the West Point Command & Leadership School (where he earned the Chief Harry Wilde academic excellence award).

Broad experience in a wide range of areas

Dr. Odelle Despot, who teaches at the Berkeley College New York City campus, is a 20-year combat veteran of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars with experience as a military commanding officer who retired as a major. Also an 18-year member of the New York City Police Department, he is the current Commanding Officer of the 73rd Precinct.

Dr. Despot has a demonstrated track record of success within the Patrol Services Bureau, Transit Bureau, and Housing Bureau, having developed and implemented strategies overseeing patrol, special operations, field training, administrative, and mobile field forces. Berkeley students benefit from his extensive experience regarding military and police practices in leadership, training, operations, administration, policy, strategy, analysis, planning, personnel management, and rallying teams together for common goals.

Personal attention in small classes

While faculty members are chosen for both their experience and their ability connect with students, the environment at Berkeley College is another advantage. “Students are learning in small classes, so they get one-on-one attention from professors and are able to form strong relationships,” said Gary Krulish, Chair of the Justice Studies - Criminal Justice department.

Flexibility is also crucial

The Berkeley College MBA program is designed for working professionals and offers the ability to study at the College’s Woodland Park campus, online, or through a blend of both. This makes it possible to fit the program into even the busiest schedule. In addition, the four Law Enforcement Executive Management courses may also be taken as a Continuing Education certificate program. “While the LEEM Continuing Education certificate program does offer the key LEEM elective courses in a concentrated format, earning the MBA with the concentration does offer significant advantages for graduates in terms of marketability, as many organizations look for candidates with an MBA,” Dr. Glazer pointed out.

An appealing option for recent graduates

The LEEM concentration in the Berkeley MBA program has also attracted recent graduates of the Justice Studies - Criminal Justice Bachelor’s degree program who choose to continue directly to graduate-level studies to expand their career options and possibly increase their earning potential. Today, a bachelor’s degree may not be enough to compete for top positions in private industry. “The MBA - LEEM combination provides the criminal justice student with a seamless transition into graduate studies,” according to Dr. Glazer. In addition, courses within the LEEM concentration—Crisis Management, in particular—have become popular electives among current MBA students not in the Law Enforcement Executive Management concentration.

Preparing leaders for further success

Whether graduates of the LEEM concentration go on to higher positions within law enforcement or pursue executive positions in areas such as private security, facilities management, or other strategic business units, they will have the critical-thinking and problem-solving skills that employers look for. Just as importantly, they will have gained important insight through the shared knowledge and experiences from professors who have already held the types of positions to which they aspire.

The views and/or opinions in this article are those of the individuals interviewed. The academic achievements and/or employment outcomes described in this article are specific to each individual and are not a guarantee of similar results for past or current students. For up-to-date and detailed information, please visit BerkeleyCollege.edu and view our catalogs at BerkeleyCollege.edu/publications.