Course Overview
Course Description
How do law enforcement and public safety professionals lead under stress, in environments of change, and in the modern social and political climate? Strong leadership is crucial in law enforcement organizations; from officer safety, to thriving teams, to organizational success or failure, the stakes are high day in and day out. Leadership is a broad and diverse toolkit that can, and should, be understood and applied differently by individuals and organizations. Throughout this course, students will be exposed to practical and application-based examinations of organizational models and leadership theories. Designed to create immediate payoff with real-time and actionable lessons, the course uses a variety of case studies from law enforcement, corporate America and the military to present a holistic look at leadership, ethics, and best practices in modern law enforcement and public safety organizations.
Course Highlights
- Theoretical at its core and pragmatic in approach, students examine leadership principles ranging from situational leadership to best practices from legendary historical leaders, to enduring and thriving in a toxic leadership environment.
- In a time of increased calls for transparency, this course helps students learn the importance of leadership in nurturing public trust and cultivating collaborative relationships with key stakeholders.
- The goal for students is to have them understand leadership theory through case studies and examples that have an immediate payoff for their careers, with ample preparation for promotion opportunities.
Student Comments:
“I thoroughly enjoyed exploring various leadership styles and understanding their crucial role in an organization’s success. The highlight of the course for me was the final project, which involved creating an Executive Summary Report. I particularly appreciated that it compelled me to do research and develop a real strategic plan to address common challenges faced by police agencies today.”
-Summer ’26 Student
“I appreciated that the course did not stop at recognizing problems, but also pushed us to think about how leaders can actually address them through communication, accountability, planning, and follow-through. That made the material feel useful beyond the classroom because it connected directly to real leadership challenges. The course helped me think more critically about not only what needs to change within an organization, but also how to take practical steps toward making those changes happen.”
-Summer ’26 Student
“The frameworks around organizational leadership translated directly to decisions I make at work. Concepts like accountability structures, team dynamics, and ethical leadership aren’t abstract in law enforcement, and having a structured way to analyze them was useful.”
-Summer ’26 Student
“The most practical aspect of this course was learning how leadership theories and organizational strategies can be applied to real-world challenges. Through assignments and discussions, I learned how to address issues related to communication, accountability, teamwork, change management, and organizational culture. These concepts have practical value because they can improve effectiveness within my current agency and support my future leadership development.”
-Summer ’26 Student
“I really enjoyed this class. It was a great experience to reflect on my own leadership skills and that of my own organization. I know have great tools to bring back to my organization and improve my department’s culture.”
-Fall ’24 Student
“To date, this has been the best course of this program. The leadership aspects apply to what I’m doing today in my profession, and there was a lot of experience among my professor, colleagues, and the material. Excellent class, in my opinion.”
-Spring ’23 Student
“What an amazing course. This class was revolutionary for me in terms of helping me truly understand leadership and adaptive leadership styles. For years I thought I knew what leadership was but this course has truly helped me understand leadership principles and styles. It does help me recognize what sort of leadership styles I like best, but also which ones I need to continue to work on to make sure I do my best to be as adaptive and receptive to those I have the privilege to lead. Ultimately, as a leader I must meet my follower where they are to help them find personal and professional success.”
-Spring ’23 Student
“LEPSL 540 – Organizational Leadership significantly advanced my ability to analyze leadership and management with a law enforcement organization, while analyzing and advancing my own leadership. This class was one of my favorites and will forever positively impact my leadership.”
-Spring ’23 Student
“The readings and discussion boards contributed greatly to my learning. I learned leadership concepts and practices that have made me a better leader in the field and will undoubtedly contribute to my advancement in my agency. The discussion boards exposed me to leaders who have held a variety of positions and had a lot to say about some of the challenging leadership dilemmas I have faced in my career.”
-Summer ’21 Student
“The entire course had practical value to me. Being able to look at issues in law enforcement in general and then seeing those examples that I have as well as other students have through the discussion boards have all been valuable to me as I progress in my career. I will take a lot back with me through this course in my every day job and will help me to grow as a leader.”
-Summer ’21 Student
“Overall, the course allowed me to understand others and myself better than ever before in terms of leadership”
-Spring ’18 Student
“Without exaggeration, each week there were take-aways that I can use currently and in the future. I enjoyed sharing what I learned with my colleagues and subordinates.”
-Spring ’18 Student
“The material is applicable daily as a law enforcement leader”
-Spring ’18 Student