UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — University Police Lt. Jason Zajac recently graduated from Northwestern University’s Center for Public Safety following the completion of an extensive, in-residence program that provides advanced leadership training specific to law enforcement.
Zajac successfully completed the 10-week Staff and Command program offered in Hershey, Pennsylvania, from Feb. 12 to June 15.
The School of Police Staff and Command provides upper-level collegiate instruction in 27 core blocks of instruction and additional optional blocks during each session. The major areas of study include leadership, human resources, employee relations, organizational behavior, applied statistics, planning and policy development, budgeting, and resource allocation.
Each student is academically challenged through written examinations, projects, presentations, quizzes, and a staff study paper. In addition to being academically focused, the program allows for the networking of law enforcement professionals from various agencies and backgrounds.
Zajac is in his 17th year of service at Penn State. Currently, he is the administrative lieutenant for University Police and Public Safety, where his responsibilities include assisting with recruiting and hiring initiatives, managing a field training program for newly hired officers, policy development, and assisting with the implementation process for the police accreditation, as well as overseeing the positions of accreditation manager, training coordinator and quartermaster.
“At University Police, we understand the importance of professional development, and we want to provide our officers with the education, training and tools necessary to be successful,” said Charlie Noffsinger, assistant vice president of Penn State Police and Public Safety. “We are proud of Lt. Zajac for completing this extensive training, which demonstrates his dedication to being successful in his role at Penn State. Such continuing education opportunities allow our officers to stay at the forefront of law enforcement trends and best practices.”
The Center for Public Safety was established at Northwestern University in 1936 with the specific goal of expanding university-based education and training for the law enforcement community. The program, which was implemented by the Center for Public Safety in 1983, has graduated more than 20,000 students both nationally and internationally. Since its inception, the center has broadened its original objective and now provides a variety of courses and programs in the area of police training, management training, and executive development.
Established in 1926 as Campus Patrol, today Penn State University Police and Public Safety is responsible for protecting and serving Penn State’s students, faculty members, staff members and visitors at 22 campuses located throughout Pennsylvania.
In 2017, Penn State centralized University Police and Public Safety by combining campus-based units into one, cohesive department under the direction of the assistant vice president for police and public safety. The unified department has roughly 135 full-time and part-time police officers, 75 non-sworn and civilian staff, and approximately 90 student employees.
University Police and Public Safety provides multiple resources and services, including police services, behavioral threat management, Clery compliance and emergency management. The department also includes a K-9 unit and Community-Oriented Policing Unit.