By 
October 2, 2026
For 10 weeks over the summer, Huntsville Police Department (HPD) Capt. Stephen Anderson traded his usual routine in Huntsville for a dorm room, a classroom and a new group of colleagues at the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Va.
His days were full.
There were graduate-level classes, term papers and group projects. There was daily physical training. And there was the reality of being away from home for more than two months.
But for Anderson, the experience was about more than adding another accomplishment to his resume. It was an opportunity to learn from law enforcement leaders facing many of the same challenges – and bring those lessons back to Huntsville.
Anderson, HPD’s West Precinct Commander, graduated from the FBI National Academy on Sept. 17 as part of Session 299. He was among 265 law enforcement professionals in the graduating class, including 29 international participants representing 28 countries.
“I wanted to continue my development as a law enforcement leader and bring back best practices and different ideas of how to continue to grow and improve our department,” Anderson said.
10 weeks in Quantico
The FBI National Academy is a 10-week program focused on leadership, communication and fitness. Participants live on the FBI campus inside Marine Corps Base Quantico while completing accredited coursework through the University of Virginia and participating in daily physical training.
Despite those rigors, for Anderson, there was a bigger obstacle.
“The most challenging part of the National Academy experience was being away from home for 10 weeks,” Anderson said.
And then there was the classroom.
Although Anderson has spent years developing as a law enforcement officer and leader, the Academy brought him back to something he hadn’t experienced in a while: collegiate-style coursework.
The accredited courses can be applied toward a degree, meaning Anderson found himself balancing term papers and group projects along with the rest of the Academy’s demanding schedule.
The lessons between the lessons
For all the formal instruction, Anderson said some of the most valuable learning happened in conversations.
“The daily interactions and conversations with the other law enforcement leaders from across the country was the most impactful part of the National Academy experience,” Anderson said.
Those conversations created something that doesn’t disappear when the Academy ends: a professional network Anderson can turn to when new challenges arise.
“No problems are unique, so having a network of people to lean on is critical to being successful as a leader,” Anderson said.
Bringing the experience home
Anderson returned to HPD with a long list of leadership principles and ideas he hopes to put into practice.
But perhaps one of his most meaningful takeaways was realizing how much of that leadership development is already happening within HPD.
“It was good to see that our department is doing a great job in developing leaders internally, instilling the principles that are taught at the National Academy in our leaders of all ranks within our department,” Anderson said.
The people Anderson met along the way were just as important as the lessons he learned in the classroom. 
One of those people was Vince Dalfonzo, a former FBI lead hostage negotiator who taught Anderson’s critical incident management course. He also pointed to Charles “Buddy” McGinnis, who retired from the FBI during the session after 50 years with the agency, including time with its Evidence Response Team Unit and as an instructor at the National Academy.
For Anderson, those relationships and the perspective that came with them are part of what makes the Academy experience continue long after graduation.
And after 10 weeks of classes, training, conversations and a lot of time away from home, Anderson has three words for the experience:
“Challenging, rigorous, transformative,” Anderson added.
The Academy may have taken Anderson from Huntsville to Quantico, but the goal was always to bring something back.
For him, that means continuing to develop as a leader, sharing what he learned and doing his part to strengthen HPD and provide the best quality police service to the Huntsville community.
