Lieutenant Michael Mullen is the first member of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department in seven years to graduate from POST’s Command College.
The 18 month course operating under the auspices of the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards & Training, is designed to prepare law enforcement leaders of today for the challenges of the future.
“We went away for one week every other month for a year and then we were off for six months to study and write our thesis,” said Lt. Mullen, second in command of the Department’s Airport Operations Division.
His thesis was the Role of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in the Sheriff’s Department of the Future. He sees the tool, now used extensively by the military in the War on Terror, as having growing importance in the coming years as a part of the Sheriff’s Air Support capability.
“They’ll be used in emergency operations and surveillance. They will continue to take on a growing role,” said Lieutenant Mullen.
He said the admission process to the course was one of the toughest screenings he has undergone in his career. He was admitted along with 20 other law enforcement managers from all over the state, including two Commanders from Santa Ana and a Lieutenant from Buena Park.
“I believe the Command College has given me the skills and knowledge to anticipate and prepare for the future of the Sheriff’s Department. It has validated a lot of my existing beliefs,” Lt. Mullen said.
He said one of the benefits of the course was the experience of working closely with highly motivated police managers from across the state.
In addition to his duties at the airport, Lt. Mullen was assigned to a special investigations team during the time he was attending the Command College.
“It was a great experience in multi-tasking,” he said. “All of us in the course were ordered to put our Blackberry on “Command College mode,” which meant off. During the breaks we would all be on the Blackberry answering important messages.”
He said that the Department will benefit from his experience because he will use what he learned in mentoring sergeants and deputies who he works closely with everyday.
“The Command College validated my belief in ‘a servant leadership’ philosophy. That is one in which you strive to make a difference at the lowest level of your command, you do the best you can and you know that when you leave it is better than it was when you first showed up.”
Lieutenant Chuck Wilmot, in the process of transferring from Chief of Police Services for Rancho Santa Margarita to command the S.A.F.E. Bureau, is currently attending Command College and is due to graduate in May. No other Department members are now enrolled in the program.
To learn more about the Command College click here.