Hammac graduates DEA Drug Unit Commander Academy

Major Clay Hammac of the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office recently completed the culmination of his narcotics enforcement career by graduating from the DEA’s Drug Unit Commander Academy. He and  17 other commanders from across the country who participated in the residential training.

The Drug Enforcement Administration created the Drug Unit Commander’s Academy (DUCA) for local, state, and tribal law enforcement commanders who have at least five years of command in narcotics investigations and are respected among the federal law enforcement community. Based at the DEA Training Academy in Quantico, VA, commanders attend two weeks of training focused on executive leadership, strengthening community relationships, and supporting employee wellness.  

Each year, only one commander from each of the 23 DEA divisions across the nation is selected to attend. Hammac was selected from the four state division consisting of Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Arkansas.  

Hammac began his law enforcement career at the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office in 2004, and took command of the multi-jurisdictional Drug Enforcement Task Force in 2015. In 2020, Major Hammac was promoted to Sheriff Samaniego’s executive command staff where he serves in a leadership oversight role of the Drug Enforcement Unit, in addition to Patrol and Criminal Investigations. This latest accomplishment adds to Hammac’s recent awards which include completion of the FBI National Academy, a lifesaving medal, two meritorious awards, the Sheriff’s Award, Officer of the Year, FOP state-wide Member of the Year, and in 2018 was named one of the world’s Top 40 Under 40 Law Enforcement Leaders by the International Association of Chiefs of Police, from a candidate pool of more than 36,000 nominations.  

When asked about his experience at the Drug Unit Commander’s Academy (DUCA), Major Hammac said, “I feel grateful and humbled to be included in the same category as some of the other men and women in my session, and I am most grateful to our local DEA Office for their support in nominating me for this honor. These men and women in narcotics enforcement are the ones who really deserve the recognition and I’m grateful to have the opportunity to serve alongside of them.” 

Hammac’s DUCA session #81 joins the ranks of Sheriff John Samaniego who graduated DUCA session #17 when he served as the commander of West Alabama’s Narcotics Task Force.

--Submitted by the Shelby County Sheriff's Office