News Release

The new Police Leadership Development Program, offered by the university's School of Continuing Studies, is the first graduate credit program of its kind developed by an academic institution and could serve as a national model, said William C. Richardson, president of Johns Hopkins. It responds, he said, to "dramatic changes police departments are currently undergoing."

"Along with fighting crime, police chiefs must cope with increased citizen concerns, urban unrest, and social conditions often beyond their control -- all in a period of fiscal constraint and crisis," Dr. Richardson said.

Designed to be completed in two years of study, the intensive two-year, 45-credit program will lead to a master of science degree in applied behavioral science with a concentration in community leadership development. The business-based interdisciplinary curriculum focuses on such topics as leadership and management, organization and human resource development, community relations, and values and culture.

"There are compelling reasons for a police executive program," said Baltimore City Police Commissioner Thomas Frazier. "Our officers know the law; they are trained to conduct investigations, work with sources, and make arrests. But what they really need to learn is how to make large, complex organizations work effectively and to be responsive to the diverse society in which we live. This program will provide them with that knowledge."

About 20 police officers are expected to enroll in the program's first class, which will begin taking courses this fall, said Stanley C. Gabor, dean of the School of Continuing Studies. Police departments that will participate include Baltimore City; Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Harford, Howard, Montgomery and Prince George's counties; and the cities of Annapolis and Washington, D.C.

Frazier said the new program meets an "urgent need" in the region and the nation. "There are more than 100,000 police officers in the country with undergraduate degrees, and police departments represent a substantial investment of public money -- more than $20 billion a year, nationwide," he said. "Our success is vital to that of our society."

The Police Leadership Development Program's structure and curriculum, Dean Gabor said, are the result of a collaboration between the School of Continuing Studies and an advisory committee including representatives from the Police Executive Research Forum; Baltimore City; Annapolis; Baltimore, Howard, and Prince George's counties; and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Classes will meet two Fridays and two Saturdays a month, from September through May. The class that enters this September is expected to graduate in May 1995.

Mid- to executive-level police or law enforcement officers with undergraduate degrees are eligible for the program. Dean Gabor said police chiefs will recommend and sponsor candidates; individual police officers may apply with the endorsement of chiefs. The final selection of each class will be made by an admissions committee of Hopkins and police representatives.