The Law Enforcement Executive Development Seminar (LEEDS) program was conceptualized to fill a void in FBI executive training programs for municipal, state, and federal leaders of law enforcement agencies with between 50 and 500 sworn officers. In 1981, a two-week training program at the FBI Academy at Quantico commenced to meet this need, and LEEDS was established. However, demand for executive-level training continually exceeded scheduling availability at Quantico.
In 1991, the Federal Bureau of Investigation Law Enforcement Executive Development Association (FBI-LEEDA) was formed to provide graduates with a vehicle for continued networking and educational opportunities. Today, FBI-LEEDA’s membership includes law enforcement executives throughout the United States, U.S. territories, and foreign countries. In addition to FBI-LEEDA’s mission of leadership and management training excellence, the Association strives to provide information that enhances members’ ability to maintain an outstanding quality of life in the communities they serve.
In 1993, the FBI expanded the LEEDS program in Quantico to include law enforcement agencies with 75 or fewer officers and established thirteen LEEDS Regional Command Colleges. That same year, MALEEDS – formerly the Greater Atlantic Law Enforcement Executive Development Seminar – was formed.
Since that time, regional LEEDS classes have become so popular that the program expanded and now encompasses more than twenty Regional Command Colleges throughout the United States. The response by the law enforcement community to the LEEDS programs – both regionally and at the FBI Academy – has been overwhelming, and its success can be measured by its significant growth since 1981.
For more information on FBI-LEEDA, visit: www.FBILEEDA.org.
MALEEDS is a private, non-profit organization and is not part of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) or acting on its behalf.