The person identified himself as Eric Thunberg, a police chief in Wisconsin. His department was working an active case involving two kidnapped children believed to be held at a house in New Jersey. They needed help.
Wittke quickly connected the Wisconsin chief with law enforcement in the jurisdiction where the children were being held. Within minutes, officers made it to the scene, rescued the children, and arrested the kidnapper.
Other than professional law enforcement careers, these men knew nothing about one another. However, one thing connected them: All three are graduates of the FBI National Academy—a renowned program with the mission of supporting, promoting, and enhancing the personal and professional leadership development of law enforcement leaders across the country and around the world.
The National Academy was created in 1935 as the FBI Police Training School. Early classroom training was held in Room 5231 at the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., which then housed the FBI.
Students practiced their marksman skills at facilities in Quantico, Virginia, which in 1972 officially became home to the FBI Training Academy.
The FBI National Academy this year is celebrating 90 years of creating a network of law enforcement professionals like those in the New Jersey kidnapping case.
“This is one example of thousands that show the importance of the NA network and how it helps law enforcement’s mission,” said Wittke. “It was really incredible. Again, this happens on a daily basis. But it just shows you how the NA network … how important it is and how it works.”
The 10-week program was created in 1935 as the FBI Police Training School. The first National Academy class consisted of a mere 23 students at the Department of Justice Building in Washington D.C. In 1972, the new FBI Training Academy in Quantico, Virginia, was established as the permanent location for the National Academy.
As of this year, the National Academy has graduated 56,180 individuals from local, state, federal, military, and tribal agencies from every state in the U.S. and its territories, as well as 4,340 international graduates from 176 countries.
The retired special agent who attended National Academy as a police officer in Ohio describes how National Academy graduates support each other long after their sessions.
Prosecutor’s office lieutenant describes the network of experts at the National Academy, calling them as “the greatest hive you could ever build upon.”
Retired officer describes the weighty responsibility of those selected to attend the National Academy.
Retired police chief describes how connections he made at the National Academy contributed directly to success in a case.
Police chief talks about the value of putting aside differences and respecting others who put their lives on the line.
Police sergeant describes the value of training with a broad array of law enforcement officers from around the world.
Sheriff describes how the National Academy helps develop and reveal leadership qualities.
“For 90 years, the FBI National Academy has been more than just a training program—it has been a life-changing journey that shapes law enforcement leaders to serve with integrity, vision, and resilience,” said FBI Training Division Assistant Director Matthew Miraglia. “By bringing together officers from across the nation and around the world, the Academy builds bonds of trust, fosters innovation, and raises the standards of our profession.
“As we celebrate this milestone, we reaffirm our commitment to developing leaders who are prepared to meet tomorrow’s challenges and strengthen the safety of our communities everywhere.”
Attendees agree that the National Academy is a uniquely life-changing experience personally and professionally; the students often step out of their comfort zones for the sake of growth and development.
“This is unlike anything you can experience in law enforcement,” said Michael Wittington, commander at the Santa Clara District Attorney’s Office. “In all trainings in law enforcement, you go off for a week, maybe two weeks at most. But to do 10 weeks where you’re separated from your agency, you’re separated from your family, and you can focus on yourself, focus on developing yourself.”
Like Wittke, Mark Rogers, a former police officer from Ohio and retired FBI special agent, has had similar experiences of relying on his network of fellow National Academy graduates.
“It’s a third academics, it’s a third physical fitness, and it’s a third liaison networking, which is one of the most important things,” Rogers said. “There there’s so many stories I have where I personally reached out for people asking opinions on different things. And I would reach out blindly and say, ‘Hey, my name is Mark Rogers, I was a graduate of the 150. I understand you graduated from this session. I hope you enjoyed it,’ and we’d start like a friendly conversation back and forth. People bend over backwards for other NA grads to help any way they can.”
“This is unlike anything you can experience in law enforcement.”
Michael Wittington, commander, Santa Clara District Attorney’s Office
A student operates a Thompson submachine gun, or “Tommy Gun,” on a range in 1940.
Physical fitness training challenges National Academy attendees to get back to basics to ensure they can continue to fulfill duties that aren’t solely behind a desk.
National Academy attendees navigate the Yellow Brick Road, a wooded 6.1-mile trail that requires climbing over walls, running through creeks, jumping through simulated windows, and more.
Students who complete the course receive a yellow brick emblazoned with their session number.
The physical fitness training, while a typical part of law enforcement jobs, challenges attendees to get back to basics to ensure they can continue to fulfill duties that aren’t solely behind a desk.
“A lot of times when you advance in law enforcement, your job becomes a little more sedentary, so we’re just showing them ways to get out of their seat, move around dynamically,” said FBI Training Division instructor Kevin Chimento.
Chimento explained that speed, agility, power, muscular endurance, muscular strength, and anaerobic and aerobic ability exercises are essential parts of the physical fitness training. These attributes are necessary to pass the final test of the fitness challenge—the Yellow Brick Road, a grueling 6.1-mile run through a wooded trail. Built by the U.S. Marines, the course requires climbing over walls, running through creeks, jumping through simulated windows, and more.
Graduates who complete this difficult test receive an actual yellow brick emblazoned with their session number to memorialize their achievement.
Academic classes for the National Academy, accredited by the University of Virginia, have changed in name and curriculum over the years, but the ability to learn from peers through dynamic discussions about the ever-changing challenges faced by law enforcement leaders remains consistent.
Topics for the academic classes in 2025 range from Critical Incident Leadership to Forensic Science for Police Executives, allowing attendees to learn from one another through robust discussions and case analyses, highlighting the diverse perspectives of each member of the class.
“To hear how other parts of the country operate in certain situations—and some in other parts of the world, even, if you get an international student—that was a real eye-opening experience,” said South Hackensack, New Jersey, Sgt. James Donatello. “Those were some of my best days, when we would all kind of discuss a case or maybe an internal issue with an officer, and how the same incident that might be happening in New Jersey might be handled differently in the Midwest or in the South or on the West Coast.”
Michael Whittington, commander, Santa Clara, California, District Attorney’s Office
Chris Perez, assistant chief, Chandler, Arizona, Police Department
‘A well rounded program’
The focus and curriculum of the National Academy have evolved over the years.
Early on, training emphasized standardizing front-line police officer tactics. An early look at the NA curricula shows courses focused on technical and scientific techniques in law enforcement.
Today, the emphasis is on developing well-rounded senior law enforcement leaders, with undergraduate and graduate certificates offered through a partnership with the University of Virginia.
The National Academy’s first graduating class on October 19, 1935
Differing viewpoints are seen as an incredibly valuable part of the program, especially perspectives of international students, as they often shine a light on how similar policing challenges may be handled in another country.
“Their takeaway is to understand what those best practices are, how they can take those home and improve not only what they’re doing for their agency but the profession itself,” said National Academy instructor Gail Pennybacker. “It is absolutely invaluable for this experience to include our international partners, what we learn from them, what they learn from us, how we can share, how we can relate, how we can have those experiences where we have commonalities and challenges.”
The National Academy in 2025 welcomed 115 children for C.O.P.S. Kids Day as part of National Police Week. C.O.P.S. stands for Concerns of Police Survivors, a non-profit that helps families of fallen officers. Each year, National Academy students plan a day of activities for kids and family members at the Training Academy in Virginia.
Learning from peers with differing perspectives leads to open-mindedness throughout the careers of National Academy graduates, while connecting them with people throughout the country and the world for years to come. Yogonanda Pittman, retired chief of Capitol Police, said despite personal opinions, attendees can foster a community of respect throughout their class and far beyond to their own circles of influence.
“One of the things I challenged the director of the NA on when I was there is the value in hearing diverse perspectives,” said Pittman. “When we were able to walk away with consensus that we may not all agree on every issue of how policing should be done in this country, but we all could have an understanding and respect for what each of us does protecting and serving, putting our lives on the line.
“It’s just different approaches. It’s not a one size fits all. I would say the most encouraging thing would be regardless of politics or whoever’s in charge, we still all need to have a respect for each other in the profession as human beings. That will never change, in my opinion.”
Lt. Christopher Whiting of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office served as class president during his time at National Academy. In his speech to the class at graduation, he spoke about the “hive mind” law enforcement officers should strive to achieve.
“The fact is, we don’t know the answer to everything,” said Whiting. “Maybe a few people in this world do, and they’re fortunate enough, but the reality is, we rely on our friends. We rely on our coworkers. We rely on our colleagues and those in that hive that we created to answer those questions.
“Going to the NA is probably the greatest hive you could ever build upon, because you’re sitting in the room of 240 or 250 other law enforcement officials who earned the right to be there and are certainly the top of their agencies.”
Being nominated for and attending the National Academy is an immense honor for many, some of whom come from a personal or professional legacy of graduates to learn from and inspire others to want to attend.
With only around 250 attendees per session and just four sessions each year, being nominated and chosen is a considerable achievement not to be taken for granted.
“You don’t owe this opportunity to yourself or to your organization,” said Steve Dembowski, a retired police captain from Bergen County. “You owe it to the person that you took their slot. That slot was afforded to you and not someone else. Your career went one way, and maybe that person’s career went another way because you had the opportunity to go to the National Academy. You have to value it, especially if it accelerates your career because of it.”
The personal impact of graduating from the National Academy is invaluable, but there is an impact that extends throughout law enforcement agencies in the nation and the world, as well as their affected communities, because of the experiences of National Academy graduates.
They take back the lessons they learn in the classroom, the connections they make with their fellow graduates, and a revived sense of mission and purpose for pursuing justice and protecting the public they serve.
Heidi Ramsey
“They realize that everybody’s here with a common purpose.”
Ken Westren
“Take advantage of everything you can here. Don’t say no to opportunity.”
Gail Pennybacker
“You don’t really know how tall you are until you stand next to someone else.”
Steven Conlon
“There’s a lot of commonalities in the challenges that law enforcement faces.”
Kevin Chimento
“We want to give them a gift of a lifetime.”
Eric Thunberg, the police chief who reached out to Ted Wittke for help in the kidnapping case, summed up the value of National Academy over its 90 years.
“I graduated from National Academy over 11 years ago, and many of my classmates are retired, but the value and strength of the network remains strong,” said Thunberg. “Being able to reach out anywhere in the world is invaluable beyond words. Seconds and minutes count when it comes to keeping people safe, and the National Academy’s proven network and bond is unlike any other professional law enforcement organization I have ever seen in over 32 years of police work.”
https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/90-years-of-national-academy?utm_campaign=email-Immediate&utm_medium=email&utm_source=stories&utm_content=%5B2069940%5D-%2Fnews%2Fstories%2F90-years-of-national-academy
