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12/28/2022 09:37 AMBeing a police officer can be a difficult job anywhere, and a thankless job for so many. The position of safeguarding one’s community can be an intimidating task for many, but with advanced training and knowledge in the matters of law enforcement, the job can be performed at the utmost best. That is what North Haven Police Department (NHPD) Deputy Chief Andrew Stavrides discovered after having recently graduated as part of the 284th Session class at the FBI National Academy, which he joined for its “reputation for being world-class training for police leaders and executives,” he said.
A North Haven native and a decorated 17-year veteran at the NHPD, Andrew attended the Academy as a great fit, all the while having support from his colleagues and family.
“After getting promoted into supervisory roles, I had heard more and more about the FBI National Academy,” Andrew said. “I knew it was something I really wanted to go to if I was afforded the opportunity. I’m thankful to Chief Glenn for nominating me to attend and for the support from the Board of Police Commissioners. I also could not have done it without my family who has always supported my career goals.”
The Academy offers a 10-week training and research course at its facilities in Quantico, Virginia, approximately 35 miles southwest of Washington D.C. The Academy’s course involves advanced investigative, leadership, and fitness training for selected officers and other members of law enforcement from across the United States and the rest of the world.
Now, Andrew has brought this prestigious training back to his hometown, where he lives with his family.
“I grew up in North Haven, near where Quinnipiac University has their North Haven campus. I graduated [from] North Haven High School in 2000. I like being active outside, working out, and enjoy spending time with my wife, two kids, and two dogs.”
Andrew first became interested in law enforcement when he was a child, but it was his older brother that really influenced him to follow the path toward work in the field.
“I have an older brother who became a police officer three years before I did. I was seeing what he was doing and getting a first-hand look at what the job entailed. I was always drawn to policing ever since I was a kid, but my interest in it grew after he became a police officer,” Andrew says
Following his time as a supervisor and commander of NHPD divisions such as the Uniformed and Investigative services, and a member of the South Central Regional SWAT Team, Andrew decided to take his experience to Virginia, where he learned about the many aspects that delve into effective and sensible enforcement of the law, no matter the scale of an individual department and their personnel count.
“Over the course of the program, we touched upon many things, such as the psychology of leadership, mental health and wellness for personnel, organizational change, investigative techniques, and the types of resources the FBI has available to state and local agencies,” Andrew said. “It was very interesting to see how several common themes are occurring in policing, whether your agency has five officers or 5,000.”
The mental health element of the training course was a big focus for Andrew and his fellow students at the Academy, not just for that of an officer, but to better understand the wellness of the community one is sworn to defend.
“If our own people are struggling, how can we expect them to help other people through struggles? By making sure our people are healthy, both physically and mentally, we can provide much better police services to our community.”
On top of his nearly two decades with the NHPD, Andrew found that his past education was especially helpful during his time in the Academy, translating many academic skills into the program. On top of his undergraduate studies at Northwestern University, his accomplished academic resume includes his two master’s degrees from the University of New Haven, attendance at the John F. Kennedy School of Government Executive Leadership at Harvard University, and the completion of the Police Executive Research Forum’s Senior Management Institute Course, which, like the Academy, provides intensive training for middle to high-level officers at departments across the country.
“Having gone through a masters’ program, it was an easier transition while at the National Academy,” he said “Papers would need to be written in APA format, and researching and writing was still fresh in my mind from grad school. For some individuals that had not been in a school environment for decades, this was a little more challenging. I was able to manage my time well and was comfortable with academic assignments.”
For much of the shared stress felt among officers, and sometimes the same sentiment as a civilian, the lessons Andrew learned during his time at the Academy come down to having compassion for the community and once again being attentive and sensitive to the struggles some may be facing. Or as he puts it:
“Treating people, both inside and outside the agency, with fairness, respect, and dignity, goes a long way,” he said. “Some of the best ways to deal with people are also the simplest. Like many occupations, it can be easy to get wrapped up into specific tasks, statistics, and deadlines. Internally, I realized you get much better work from people when they want to work for you, as opposed to when they have to work for you. People want to work for people that treat them well. Sometimes we overcomplicate things. Fairness, respect, and dignity is a great place to start.”