Carol Kopp, Oconto County Jail administrator, will graduate June 5 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Wisconsin Law Enforcement Command College, a partnership between the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Wisconsin Department of Justice.
The Command College trains representatives from law enforcement agencies around the state, preparing them for leadership roles. It’s part of UW’s nationally accredited Certified Public Manager Program, which equips managers in federal, state and local government and in tribal and nonprofit organizations for the unique demands of the public management profession.
Kopp was one of 30 people enrolled in the course, which met for six one-week sessions. The first session was held in September.
“It certainly has been an intensive school, but it certainly was very beneficial,” Kopp said.
Kopp, who has bachelor’s and master’s degrees and 23 years of experience, said she was interested in continuing her education to help with the transition to a new jail facility. A law enforcement center will be built north of the courthouse in Oconto, starting in July and ending in early 2017.
“Ultimately, I wanted to become the most prepared jail administrator I could be,” she said.
The curriculum covered a variety of topics, including ethics, leadership, strategic planning, budgeting and advanced human resources management.
“It was really an in-depth overview of how to operate a large organization,” Kopp said.
As part of a class project, Kopp helped to organize Monday’s Central Wisconsin Hero Games, which honored wounded veterans at the VA Medical Center in Tomah. She also completed an individual project that involved law enforcement background checks.
“It was just pulling information together and making it cohesive,” she said.
The result is a structured document that will be used by the sheriff’s department.
Members of the graduating class represent 29 police departments, sheriff’s offices and state agencies. They are the second group to complete the Wisconsin Law Enforcement Command College, launched in 2013 by UW-Madison’s Division of Continuing Studies.
Categories
