Gaining new perspectives: Shelby County Sheriff Office’s Capt. Jason Myrick completes training at FBI’s National Academy

Capt. Jason Myrick now has another accomplishment to add to his already impressive resume: He recently graduated from the FBI’s National Academy, becoming the sixth officer at the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office to complete the prestigious training.

The executive-level program is designed for leaders in law enforcement organizations around the globe. It provides coursework in intelligence theory, terrorism and terrorist mindsets, management science, law, behavioral science, law enforcement communication and forensic science. The goal is to improve the administration of justice in police departments and agencies and to raise law enforcement standards, knowledge and cooperation worldwide.

Myrick had originally planned to begin training in January 2020, but the session was canceled due to the emerging threat of COVID-19.

“I had gotten to the point of reconciling the fact I may never get to go,” Myrick said. “I was thinking my retirement was going to get here before I had a chance to attend.”

However, restrictions were lifted, and Myrick, who was scheduled to be in class No. 282, got bumped up to class No. 280 due to several openings.

Myrick, who is the commander of the Criminal Investigations Division and special operations group for the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, traveled to the FBI campus in Quantico, Virginia, in October to take part in a 10-week training course.

He said that although the group was significantly smaller than usual, having less attendees wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

“Our class was cut in half and had around 132 students, but the cool thing about it was our group being smaller [was] we got to know everyone,” he said.

His classmates included local and county law enforcement and employees of federal agencies from throughout the U.S. and other countries around the world. There were people from different walks of life who all do many of the same functions in their jobs, but in a different way, Myrick said.

“All of these people were there together for 10 weeks, and the real value was that we got to draw from each other’s experiences in life and professionally,” Myrick said. “We were able to develop friendships for the rest of our lives. It was such a moving experience.”

The class schedule had three courses on Mondays and Wednesdays and two on Tuesdays and Thursdays. But before the learning began, the first thing each day was a physical fitness class.

Myrick said he thoroughly enjoyed the media relations class. It began with an on-camera interview where he had to answer tough questions and provide on-the-spot answers. Guests speakers included former Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn, known as one of the best on- camera police chiefs, and Detroit Deputy Police Chief Eric Ewing, who spoke about how Detroit is trying to change its public relations image.

Myrick’s other classes included forensics for managers, where he listened to former FBI negotiator Vince Dalfonzo, who was a critical part of the boy in a bunker negotiation in the 2013 Alabama bunker hostage crisis and the 2009 situation when Captain Richard Phillips was taken hostage by Somali pirates.

Tough topics were addressed in his at-risk employment class, including how officer suicide and long-term effects of the job can influence an officer’s mental health. Myrick said that most officers suffer in silence and never say anything for fear of losing their jobs or credibility. That is something that the SCSO has done a good job combating, he said.

“We have a very comprehensive wellness program we’ve developed that includes counselors, nutritional health, financial health and other resources, and I’m proud to say that talking to my classmates, we are doing pretty good on that front,” Myrick said.

He hopes the state of Alabama will adopt a law enforcement assistance program similar to South Carolina Law Enforcement Assistance Program, a state-funded comprehensive program for officers that Myrick believes should serve as a model.

“This is the stuff we need these days,” he said. “We need to put a spotlight on our officers’ health and well-being so they can make it to retirement and have a life after law enforcement. So many don’t make it. Officer suicides are up, and we are trying to find better ways to help our people stay healthy.”

Myrick said his risk management/stress management classes were most beneficial for him and shined a light on the fact that more responsibility must be taken for officers and how they cope with their jobs and lives.

Besides the daily workouts, the physical aspect of the program included Friday morning circuit training, rotations, functional fitness exercises and strength and endurance training.

The final test of the fitness challenge was the Yellow Brick Road, a 6.1-mile run on a Marine Corp. field course that requires running through creeks, jumping through simulated windows, rock climbing, crawling under barbed wire and more. Those who completed the test — which Myrick did — received a yellow brick to memorialize their achievement.

The group attended seminars on Friday afternoons on a variety of topics including racism in policing, how policing is viewed in America and others issues that were designed to help develop empathy and have a leveled response, Myrick said.

“For so long, law enforcement has been associated with force and that has come to have some negative connotations,” he said. “It needs to have a more cooperative or community-related response and find different ways to accomplish the same goal, but expanding horizons to get to that end result we want. I think the public demands it of us. Sheriff [John] Samaniego is huge on us being very even-keeled on how we view things and have a professional response and show courtesy and protect our citizens.”

On weekends, the group took class-led trips to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania; Washington, D.C.; New York; Philadelphia; the Law Enforcement Museum; the African American Museum and more.

“All of these enrichment tours helped us gain a better perspective of the world at large that will help us be better leaders in moving forward,” he said.

Myrick completed the course and graduated from the FBI’s National Academy Session No. 280 on Dec. 16. His wife, Erin, and son, Brennan, were in attendance at the ceremony, along with FBI Director Chris Gray.

Samaniego said the sheriff’s department is honored to have exemplary individuals like Myrick at the agency and serving citizens of Shelby County.

“We are proud to have another one of Shelby County’s finest graduating from the FBI National Academy and are even more glad to have him back at home. He has had an outstanding career, and we look forward to more achievements in his future,” he said.

Myrick said one of the greatest things he learned at the National Academy was perspective and how to be a more empathic leader in decisions he makes. He also is glad for the friendships he made and how they will help him in the future.

“It really extended our ability to work,” he said. “We may not have the resources to work, but I have an extended family now that I can reach out to and find somebody that will help us get what we need.”

Myrick will turn 50 soon and has a total of 31 years in law enforcement, including five years as a Marine police officer and 26 as a civilian officer. Although he is looking to the future, he said things are going well in the present.

“There will be something next; I’m just waiting to see what this is,” Myrick said. “I’ll be here for the foreseeable future. I don’t know what the future really holds, but I enjoy what I’m doing, and as long as I’m enjoying it, I’ll keep on doing it.”