Command and Staff Leadership (ACE 1)
Blended Learning Combining Online and Residency Program
Complete 240 hours online over 12 weeks
Complete 80 hours (2 weeks) residency
“The Command & Staff course does an excellent job of changing the mindset of supervisors and turning them into a deliberate commanding leader. The curriculum is easy to follow and the support of the staff along with the professionalism of the educators made this course essential for anyone wanting to become a MAGNUS Leader.” -Lieutenant Bob Lauder, Door County Sheriff’s Office, WI, Session # 002

The Command & Staff Program will prepare you as part of the vanguard of today’s professional policing leaders. You will learn practical skills and tools to succeed in an ever-changing dynamic environment.
The class focuses on effectively resolving the challenges of an accomplished career. This session of your professional development is a blended learning experience of on-line and classroom instruction complemented to enhance your learning.
Graduates of the program will leave with new colleagues, a diverse array of faculty from which the student can continue to consult, and ways to act ahead of change to create an optimistic future for law enforcement and the communities they serve.
The long-term goal of the program is to add to the leadership skill sets of each participant; it is also to contribute to the body of knowledge of law enforcement through the completion of significant foresight-based research.
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More Program Information
Leadership and Command Staff Program (LCS-IAPS)
Credit Type: Graduate Level – 6 Hrs. Graduate level College Transfer
Tuition: $4,200 Early Registration – $4,800 Late Registration
Length: Hybrid. 320 hours (240 hrs. on-line & 80 hrs. classroom)
- On-line portion is offered over 12 weeks
- Residency portion is offered over 2 weeks
ACE Course Number: 0001 – National Registry
Objective: The course objective is to improve leadership capability by creating more aware leaders, including intentionally deeper investments in the human domain and aligning mission and values. Graduates will be leaders and mentors for their people, dedicated to personal and professional growth, committed to promoting open communication, shared values, and focused on mission accomplishment.
Learning Outcome: Upon completion of the course, the student will be able to prepare for an inspired agency command; build self-awareness and understand tendencies; develop a personal philosophy of command; understand the value of a peer network; align resources with strategy, mission, vision and values of the agency; assess and improve command climate and agency culture; value taking calculated risks and learning from mistakes, and value critical thinking and values in decision making.
Instruction: The methods of instruction include audiovisual, case studies, discussion, computer-based training, practical exercises, learner presentations, lecture, and classroom exercises. The general course topics include personal leadership; approaches to leadership; leadership and ethics; taking responsibility; communication and change; strategic elements of building a professional culture; versatility skills; human factors and leadership; leadership styles; progressive law enforcement leader effectively managing departmental risks; the organizational change battle plan; mastering communication; budgeting; personnel management; human factors and officer wellness; retention & recruitment; crisis communication.
Assessments: The methods of assessment include case studies, written papers and essays, performance rubrics, examination, and presentations with a minimum passing score of 80 percent.
ACE College Credit Recommendation: In the graduate degree category, 6 semester hours in sociology, leadership, or organizational behavior (10/19). ACE Member Universities
The long-term goal of the program is to add to the leadership skill sets of each participant; it is also to contribute to the body of knowledge of law enforcement through the completion of significant foresight-based research.
- Leadership principles required to inspire and influence the future direction of the agency.
- Strategies and tactics to identify emerging issues and provide a proactive response to deliver results with confidence.
- Advanced hand-on tools, skills and knowledge necessary to anticipate and prepare for the future success.
- Fundamental and necessary working methods and benefits of sharing information.
- Use of teams and stakeholders in problem solving for better outcomes.
The core focus on the topic* selected for capstone will be one that can be approached in one of two ways:
- The student can select a significant issue affecting law enforcement and their communities today which are having a significant impact, and for which there are no easy answers. These issues are commonly referred to as “wicked problems” and can range from something affecting one’s own agency, the state or region of that agency, or the larger profession. The focus of the research would then be to clearly define not only the symptoms and problems associated with the issue, but its underlying causes. Using that data, foresight tools and concepts will be used to identify emerging issues (technologies, social movements, political action, etc.) that may affect that issue.
- The second approach would be to identify a significant emerging issue of relevance to the future of law enforcement. The scope of the research can be how an issue might affect a function in policing, an agency size or type, or a specific issue the agency will encounter as a result of the emerging issue’s impact. This research would start from the “outside-in” and scan the horizon for what may be next, rather than focusing on what is already here, and then devising strategies to mitigate adverse outcomes
The students in programs with capstone will select a topic for research and then learn the tools and concepts they will use to complete the Futures Portfolio.
The course graduates will receive a National Command & Staff College diploma and a MAGNUS CENTURION Neck or Chest Green color Ribbon Medallion.
With this, the graduates become a member of the MAGNUS CENTURION Network for enhanced networking and future re-training and development.
Select Topics*
* Varies from Session to Session
- Adaptive Decision-Making
- Authentic Leadership
- Budget Development & Finance
- Cognition and Attribution Theory
- Cognitive Evaluation Theory of Motivation
- Communication and Counseling Skills
- Community Relationships
- Conflict Management
- Corrections Trends and Issues
- Credible Leadership
- Decision Making in Groups
- Deliberate Leadership
- Emerging Technologies and Policing in the 21st Century
- Equity Theory of Motivation
- Executive Leadership
- Expectancy Theory of Motivation
- Goal Setting
- Human Resources
- Implicit Bias & Cultural Alignment
- Intelligence-led Policing Program, A Primer
- Inter-group Conflict Management
- Law Enforcement Futures and Foresight
- Leader Member Exchange Theory
- Leadership Philosophy Development
- Leadership Theories
- Legacy leadership
- Motivation Through Job Redesign
- Negotiations & Dispute Resolutions
- Organizational Culture
- Organizational Environment
- Overcoming Resistance to Change
- Path Goal Theory
- Personality, Intelligence and Leadership Effectiveness
- Personnel Management
- Power and Influence
- Situational Leadership Theories
- Strategic Development
- Stress Management and Resiliency
- The Ethical Dimension of Leadership
- The Organization as an Open System
- The Psychology of Intelligence Analysis
- Wellness & Resiliency
- Much More …
We are committed to providing you with the tools necessary to achieve your professional goals and we understand that communicating your educational and developmental credentials through the National Command and Staff College and the National Tactical Officers Association in an ever-expanding online marketplace can be challenging. That is why we have partnered with the American Council on Education and the Credly’s platform to provide you with a digital version of your educational credentials to universities and employers.
The Command and Staff Certification Badge is provided to the following graduates.
- The Graduates of the Command & Staff Leadership Program of the National Command and Staff College.
- The Graduates of the NTOA Command College program which included the Command and Staff Program as it’s core learning component for the Tactical, Operational, and Strategic Leadership course work.
The badge includes ACE College Transfer Credit Recommendation for graduate degree category, 6 semester hours in sociology, leadership, or organizational behavior. Share with universities for college transfer recommendation, employers, friends, and social media.
What Is A Badge?
Digital badges are dynamic, 21st century credentials that tell your whole certification and education story. Digital badges allow employers and universities to easily see the full picture of your accomplishments, including verifiable skills and achievements, they’re becoming the new standard in training and certification.
They are like a “Pin” or a “Badge” you wear on your uniform representing your achievements.
The digital badge contains verified metadata that describes your qualifications and the process required to earn them as reviewed and approved by the American Council on Education. The badge can be used to request official transcripts to universities and/or employers.
The badge can also be used in email signatures or digital resumes, and on social media sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.
Badge FAQs
Q: How do I request my Transcript?
A: https://support.youracclaim.com/hc/en-us/articles/360042534771-Video-Credly-s-Transcript-Feature
Q: What is an open badge?
A: Open badges are web-enabled versions of a credential, certification or learning outcome which can be verified in real-time, online.
Q: How does my certification get displayed as a badge?
A: We have partnered with Credly to translate the learning outcomes you’ve demonstrated and evaluated by the American Council on Education into a badge, issued and managed through the company’s Acclaim Platform. The technology Credly uses on its Acclaim Platform is based on the Open Badge Standards maintained by IMS Global. This enables you to manage, share and verify your competencies digitally.
Q: What are the benefits of a badge?
A: Representing your skills as a badge gives you a way to share your abilities online in a way that is simple, trusted and can be easily verified in real time. Badges provide universities, employers and peers concrete evidence of what you had to do to earn your credential and what you’re now capable of. The Platform also offers labor market insights, based on your skills. You can search and apply for job opportunities right through the Acclaim Platform.
Q: Who is Credly?
A: Credly is the end-to-end solution for issuing and managing digital credentials. Credly works with credible and/or ACE approved organizations to provide digital credentials to individuals, worldwide.
Q: How will I know if I’ve earned a badge?
A: You will receive an email notification from the Acclaim Platform from admin@youracclaim.com with instructions for claiming your badge and setting up your account.
Q: What if I don’t want my badge to be public?
A: You can easily configure your privacy settings in the Acclaim Platform. You’re in complete control of the information about yourself that is made public.
Q: Is there a fee to use Credly’s Acclaim Platform?
A: No. This is a service we provide to you, at no cost through our college.
Q: What’s to keep someone else from copying my badge and using it?
A: While badges are simply digital image files, they are uniquely linked to data hosted on Credly’s Acclaim Platform. This link to verified data makes them more reliable and secure than a paper-based certificate. It also eliminates the possibility of anyone claiming your credential and your associated identity.
Q: Where and how can I share my badge?
A: You can share your badge directly from the Platform to LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook; over email; embedded in a website or in your email signature.
Q: What are labor market insights and how can I access them through the Platform?
A: Labor market insights are pulled from live job requisitions. Based on your skills you can learn which employers are hiring, what job titles you might be qualified for, salary ranges and more. Search active job listings and even apply for them with just a few clicks through the Platform. Access the labor market insights from your badge details page by clicking on Related Jobs, or by clicking on the skill tags assigned to your badge.
Q: Can I export badges issued through the Platform to other badge-storing platforms?
A: Yes, you can download your badge from the Share Badge page. Your downloaded badge contains Open Badge Infrastructure (OBI) compliant metadata embedded into the image. This allows you to store your badge on other OBI-compliant badge sites, such as the Mozilla backpack.
Q: Can I import badges issued from other platforms into Credly’s Acclaim Platform?
A: Not at this time because we our policies do not allow uploads from 3rd party service providers yet.
The Command & Staff Certification Badge is provided to the following graduates:
- The Graduates of the Command & Staff Leadership Program of the National Command and Staff College.
- The Graduates of the NTOA Command College.