BEDFORD COUNTY, Va. – A ten-week FBI training course in Quantico is something few local law enforcement get to experience, but Captain Shannon Zimmerman is able to say he has.
Zimmerman is back at the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office after a ten-week stint at the FBI National Academy.
“Just a very structured day. You had your cafeteria, you ate in the cafeteria morning, lunch, dinner. You did your work. You had papers to write, presentations to present,” said Zimmerman.
Located at the FBI campus in Quantico, Virginia, the National Academy represented different law enforcement agencies across the country and worldwide. It consisted of lots of physical training and time in the classroom.
“It’s dealing with leadership, dealing with some terrorism, dealing with some cybercrime stuff,” he added.
Participation is invitation only. He was one of nearly 265 officers who were nominated by their agency heads.
“Less than 1% of the command staff of law enforcement throughout the country were actually chosen to come to this.”
When Sheriff Mike Miller was contacted by the FBI to see if anyone would want to attend the Academy, it was an easy choice who to refer.
“They have certain criteria we look at, and we can pick and eliminate from that criteria, and Captain Zimmerman checked every box,” Miller said.
Now, equipped with new relationships and resources to bounce ideas off of, Zimmerman is excited to share his knowledge with the rest of the department as well as Bedford County.
“Just being open and transparent, trying to engage the community, building that relationship with them,” Zimmerman explained.