Jeff has over 28 years of law enforcement experience. He promoted through the ranks at the Colorado Springs Police Department serving in a wide variety of specialized assignments including Neighborhood Policing, Financial Crimes Detective, supervised several patrol shifts, the Downtown Area Response Team, the Homeless Outreach Team, and a Metal Theft Investigations Team. As he continued to promote, he commanded Internal Affairs, the Specialized Enforcement Division, the Management Services Division, and the Training Division. Jeff attended the PERF Senior Management Institute for Police in 2018 where he was inspired to seek graduate education in public safety leadership. He graduated from the LEPSL program in 2021. In 2024, he retired from Colorado Springs as a commander and was appointed Chief of Police in Johnstown, a rapidly growing community in beautiful Northern Colorado.
What motivated you to be a LEPSL ambassador?
The LEPSL program was designed for those currently working in public safety seeking to promote or already in senior leadership positions. The classes were full of professionals all discussing the most current problems facing our profession. The program provided a great return on my investment. I highly recommend it to anyone.
Why did you choose the LEPSL program? What made LEPSL stand out in comparison to other schools/programs?
Before attending LEPSL, I researched numerous programs and for me, this program was a perfect blend of theory and practice. I like to say it was a great hybrid between a CJ degree, MPA, and an Org Management degree. The classes were facilitated by highly qualified professional practitioners and academics who truly understand the demands of your job and the sacrifices you are making to complete your education. You also quickly learn from your classmates that regardless of agency size or location in the country, we all face similar challenges and problems and the conversations are about how do we solve them.
What were your concerns about starting a graduate program?
I think for any adult learner, the concern is, “Can I do this?” Can I meet the demands of my work, my family, and stay connected to my friends and other social groups? The truth is, if you can manage your time, you can do it. It will take commitment and some sacrifice but the more you put into the program, the more you will get out of it.
How did the LEPSL program help you achieve your career goals?
LEPSL helped grow me as a leader and helped me think both tactically and strategically. I believe it significantly improved the leadership tools available to me and gave me practical tools to conduct research for contemporary problems that are not written in textbooks. My work experiences, education, and willingness to learn from my classmates all helped develop me for a position as a Chief of Police.
What advice would you share with prospective LEPSL applicants?
#1 – Stay humble, ask lots of questions, never stop learning! You can never know everything and the minute you think you do, you will lose your people.
#2 – Do not be afraid of examining new ways of doing business. I switched to a different agency after 27 years and am learning to not let my experience hem me into one way of doing things. There is more than one way to accomplish a goal.
#3 – Completing projects may help move the organization forward, but leadership is about the people. Don’t confuse project management with leadership. Take care of the people and they will take care of the projects.
What was your favorite part of the LEPSL program?
There are several things I loved about the program, 1) the collaboration with professionals from all over the country, 2) the quality of the faculty/facilitators who bring a vast amount of experience to the program, 3) the work is paced throughout the entire program, making it manageable for those currently in a management position and expected to work 40+ hours a week, 4) the program seeks to build up and honor first responders, not tear them down. I was in the program during 2020 and Dr. Fritzvold and all the staff were awesome in understanding the pressures we were under during the weeks of the riots. They truly “get us”!; and 5) the professional relationships can continue after LEPSL. I am connected with several of my classmates and faculty via LinkedIn and still message them.
What were you balancing while participating in the LEPSL program?
Working 45-50 hours a week as a division commander of a large agency, family activities, trying to volunteer in another organization, and still trying to make life “normal” for everyone. It is a challenge but if you are committed, you can do it!
How did you stay motivated throughout the program in the face of competing priorities in your life?
Assignments were practical so each one had the opportunity to impact my current job/position. I was looking for opportunities for my work to impact both places. For example, one of my papers was turned into a white paper proposal to evaluate a less lethal tool. Additionally, I kept the end game in mind, the satisfaction of completing something that nobody ever had done in my family.
LEPSL Graduating Class:
2021