Lt. Dale LaBair handed over temporary command of the Independence Township substation Monday as he prepared to head off for 10 weeks of training at the FBI National Academy in Virginia.
Lt. Tim Adkins will take the reins in LaBair’s absence.
‘I’m excited to be out here,? said Adkins, adding that he at times patrolled the area during the 90s. ‘It’s a nice community.?
Adkins has been with the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office for about 20 years, and comes to Independence Township from an administrative assignment in Oakland County Jail, where he worked the last three years.
Adkins did not have plans to make any changes to the way the substation is run.
‘My job is to keep the wheels rolling,? he said.
‘Lieutenant LaBair has been running this substation for a long time and he’s worked out all the kinks.?
LaBair joined the OSCD on his 21st birthday in 1972. He’s been in command of the Independence Township substation for the past 10 years.
‘A lot of personal signature goes into running any substation,? LaBair said, ‘but a lot of what we do here is tailored to what the people of Independence Township like.?
LaBair and Adkins said they know one another well and both were confident LaBair’s 10-week absence would run smoothly.
‘He’s got some great sergeants here to point the way,? LaBair added. ‘And if something does need to be changed we’ll get some fresh perspective. I’ve been here a long time and maybe can’t see the forest through the trees.?
In 2003, Adkins graduated from the same program LaBair will attend at the FBI National Academy, which is located just south of Washington D.C.
‘It was the height of my career,? he said. ‘The academics were great, and with the international student population there were a lot of opportunities for networking. You have connections all over the world when you come back.?
The academy, situated on the U.S. Marine Corps Base at Quantico, Virginia, gears the program toward those in police administration and offers participants a 10-week course of professional study in topics such as behavioral science, forensic science, leadership development, communication, and health and fitness.
The health and fitness component holds equal importance to other aspects of the program, LaBair said.
‘They know that those of us in administration get fat and lazy,? joked LaBair, who increased the intensity of his workout and lost about 30 pounds when he learned he’d been accepted to the program in October. ‘It was a good incentive.?
Participation in the academy is by invitation only, through a nomination process.
Leaders and managers of state and local police, sheriffs? departments, military police organizations, and federal law enforcement agencies are drawn from all over the U.S., as well as from over 150 foreign nations.
The program began in 1935 with 23 students. As of March 2005 more than 38,000 participants had completed the course.