Los Alamos Police Cmdr. Daniel Roberts on graduation day at the FBI National Academy. Courtesy photo
Cmdr. Daniel Roberts with his wife Kim and son Owen following his graduation from the FBI National Academy. Courtesy photo
BY MAIRE O’NEILL
maire@losalamosreporter.com
Los Alamos Police Cmdr. Daniel Roberts recently returned from 10 weeks at the FBI National Academy, which is held at the FBI Training Academy in Quantico, Virginia. He graduated with FBI National Academy Session 287, Section C. His wife Kim and young son, Owen were on hand for the ceremony.
Roberts joins the ranks of some 54,565 graduates who have completed the Academy since it began in 1935. Session 287 included 199 law enforcement agencies from 21 countries, 46 states and the District of Columbia as well as four military organizations and three civilian organizations. Participation in the Academy is by invitation only through a nomination process. Roberts joined the Los Alamos Police Department in 2010. He began as a patrol officer and was a sergeant for eight years before being promoted to commander in March 2022.
Roberts has 20 years of military experience between his time in the U.S. Army and the National Guard. He is currently serving a a Major in the National Guard assigned to Joint Forces Headquarters while waiting for federal recognition for his promotion to Lt. Colonel.
The academic side of the National Academy is based on a collegiate model with mandatory core courses such as contemporary courses in law enforcement and physical training with additional curriculum that the participants choose for themselves. They also get to hear from law enforcement and military professionals who provide briefings on high-profile tactical operations and noteworthy major investigations as well as topics such as officer wellness and resiliency, victimology and other issues facing law enforcement today. There is no other forum for law enforcement that provides so much valuable instruction in a single setting.
Roberts completed the National Academy’s rigorous physical fitness program called the “Yellow Brick Road”, which consists of a 6.1-mile run through a hilly trail built by the Marines where runners climb over walls, wade through creeks and navigate obstacles before completing a road run back to the FBI Academy. Students completing the course, which is marked along the way stones, by are awarded a yellow brick with their session number on it to commemorate the event.
The National Academy allows attendees to meet and learn from other law enforcement leaders from around the world, hear about their various experiences and the conditions under which they operate, allowing them to see law enforcement from different perspectives. This is the highlight of attending the National Academy.
Roberts is a Los Alamos and is the son of Jeff and Laurel Roberts.
The yellow brick presented to Cmdr. Daniel Roberts for completing the rigorous physical fitness challenge known as the Yellow Brick Road. Courtesy photo
Cmdr. Roberts and others on the ‘Yellow Brick Road’. Courtesy photo
Cmdr. Roberts accepts his certificate from FBI Director Christopher Wray. Screenshot by Los Alamos Reporter