Five North Carolina law enforcement officers graduated from the FBI National Academy on March 13, 2020, during a ceremony held in Quantico, Virginia.

The officers are:

• Captain Travis Cline, Newton Police Department;
• Chief James Crayton, Wallace Police Department;
• Lieutenant Chris Dickerson, Roxboro Police Department;
• Lieutenant Joseph Graziano, Wrightsville Beach Police Department; and
• Assistant Chief Brian Thomas, Western Carolina University Police Department.

As FBI National Academy graduates, these officers enter into a select group made up of less than one percent of the country’s law enforcement officers. They were hand-picked by their departments and, along with other officers from across the country, completed the 10-week course at the FBI training facility in Quantico, Virginia. The course included instruction in law, behavioral science, forensic science, understanding terrorism/terrorist mindsets, leadership development, communication, and health/fitness.

The final test of the fitness challenge, the “Yellow Brick Road” is a grueling 6.1-mile run through a hilly, wooded trail built by the Marines. Along the way, the participants must climb over walls, run through creeks, jump through simulated windows, scale rock faces with ropes, crawl under barbed wire in muddy water, maneuver across a cargo net, and more. When (and if) the students complete this difficult test, they receive an actual yellow brick to memorialize their achievement. All five graduates earned their yellow bricks.

The overall goal of the Academy is to support, promote, and enhance the personal and professional development of law enforcement leaders by preparing them for complex, dynamic, and contemporary challenges through innovative techniques, facilitating excellence in education and research, and forging partnerships throughout the world.

Learn more about the FBI’s National Academy here https://www.fbi.gov/services/training-academy/national-academy