Gaining a Global Perspective: The IACP Visiting Fellows Program

The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Visiting Fellows program allows the association to create a collaborative environment at headquarters (HQ) where professional staff and active sworn law enforcement officers work side by side to achieve IACP’s mission of “Serving the Leaders of Today, Developing the Leaders of Tomorrow.” The fellowship program focuses on all aspects of law enforcement and related criminal justice issues, including leadership, strategic planning, policies, training, operational programs, research, and evaluation. IACP fellows, working alongside the association’s staff and consultants, immerse themselves in major police and justice policy efforts to gain a broad understanding of policing and justice theory and practice across the world. The typical fellowship length is one year; however, the program is flexible and allows both shorter and longer assignments when appropriate—for example, six months, or even three months, when appropriate for both the officer’s home agency and the IACP. Typically, all full-time fellows work out of IACP HQ in Alexandria, Virginia, but innovative approaches are encouraged as well. For example, a recent social media visiting fellow spent only a fraction of the fellowship at IACP, performing most of his work off-site using various social media platforms.