APD commander graduates from FBI National Academy

Albuquerque Police Department Cmdr. Michael Hernandez said, “I wanted to get out of my comfort zone.”

It was a challenge that put him in the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia, where for a few months he mentally and physically boosted his abilities.

Hernandez was among 198 members of law enforcement who graduated from the academy on Dec. 7.

“It’s a pretty big accomplishment to go through that,” he said, adding that he was humbled by the experience.

The FBI says the 10-week program serves to improve the administration of justice in police departments and agencies at home and abroad and to raise law enforcement standards, knowledge and cooperation worldwide.

Hernandez took five courses on topics ranging from contemporary issues confronting law enforcement executives to leadership and communication.

He said one thing he learned to do better was evaluate himself, especially when it came to how he was communicating with others.

“How can I deliver that message in a positive way?” Hernandez asked. “As a leader, you need to be able to communicate.”

Aside from taking courses, he had to undergo physical training, which included completing a 6.1-mile obstacle course through a hilly, wooded trail built by the Marines known as the “Yellow Brick Road.” The workouts had him climbing over walls, running through creeks and crawling under barbed wire in muddy water. Students who completed the course got a yellow brick.

“I thought I did well in the class,” Hernandez said, adding that being away from family for over two months was a “long time.”

Leaders and managers of state, local, county, tribal, military, federal and international law enforcement agencies attend the academy. Participation is by invitation only, through a nomination process.

Hernandez said he met people from Canada, Colombia, the Dominican Republic and France. Everyone shared experiences and ideas that would benefit everyone else and their agencies.

He said they became “197 friends” who he can reach out to if the Albuquerque Police Department needs anything.

The National Academy began in 1935 and is held at the FBI Training Academy, the same facility where the FBI trains its new special agents and intelligence analysts.