Recently, Lt. Don Robertson and Lt. Brian Bigelow of the Benton Police Department completed an advanced criminal justice course of study offered through the Criminal Justice Institute in Little Rock.
Lt. Robertson and Lt. Bigelow attended and successfully graduated from the School of Law Enforcement Supervision (SLES), which was designed by Arkansas law enforcement leaders to set a standard that focuses on leadership, education and advancement in the law enforcement profession.
It is a four-week supervisory development course scheduled one week per month over a four-month period. Course topics include: Leadership and Communications Excellence; Research Strategies; Challenging the Organizational Culture; Organizational and Nonverbal Communication; Stress Management; Social Intelligence; Managing Media Relations; Domestic Terrorism; Legal Topics, and Information Systems and Applications.
Officers are required to successfully complete a written exam at the conclusion of each week of instruction. Each exam covers material drawn from the lectures, course texts, and outside reading assignments. In addition, this course requires officers to make oral presentations and prepare a research paper on a topic relevant to law enforcement supervision.
Lt. Robertson is a 19-year veteran of the department and currently serves in a supervisory role in the patrol division. Lt. Bigelow is a 16-year veteran of the department having started as a cadet in 2001 and rising through the ranks over the years.
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