SALT LAKE CITY — A pair of Utah police officers are back on the job with new skills to serve the community after attending a prestigious law enforcement class.
Both of the officers are female and it's the first time two women from Utah have attended the special course.
The women tell FOX 13 News they're now refocused and re-energized to better serve and protect their communities.
Lt. April Morse has served for more than 25 years with the Unified Police Department, but she says the academy brought her a new perspective on her career.
"It is intentionally designed for you to recharge and kind of refocus and go back," she explained. "The emphasis on the curriculum is leadership, and teaching you how to be a leader and not just a manager."
The same goes for Salt Lake Police Lt. Jenn Diederich
"It gave me a hope that I haven't seen in a long time and it kind of renewed what I think and kind of changed my brain a bit about how I think about things," she said.
The FBI National Academy is an invite-only, 10-week training session for veteran cops held in Quantico, Virginia. It involves classes on the latest crime-fighting techniques.
There's also a physical component that includes a 10K run, a third of which involves a military-style obstacle course.
Combined with living in dorms and sharing meals, it's all designed to promote bonding and then sharing police knowledge.
"It's hard to explain how much of a family you become in 10 weeks, it was cool, it was really cool," Diederich said. "You're not down there comparing each other you're becoming one with each other and it's amazing!"
Since the FBI National Academy started back in 1935, more than 57,000 officers have attended but only 2,400 have been women. That's why having two female representatives from Utah is so special.
"Even though it is starting to gain some traction, we have a long way to go," Morse explained. "We need more women to be interested in this field and come join."
For Morse, there was an additional component of solving crime in real time.
With the help of a UPD Cold Case detective, they presented one of their nagging, unsolved murders to the class.
Morse said they received tremendous new insight which she believed will finally help them crack the case.
