Two members of the Whatcom County Sheriff's Office have completed the Command Leadership Institute through FBI-LEEDA, capping a week-long training that brought together law enforcement leaders from across Washington state to Bellingham. Detective Sergeant Gates and Records Manager Hannah Zabel both graduated from the program, with Zabel earning special recognition for completing all three programs in the FBI-LEEDA series and receiving the prestigious Trilogy Award.
The training was hosted by the Bellingham Police Department, with Chief Rebecca Mertzig welcoming the class and Deputy Chief Ty Elmendorf providing opening remarks. Training Sergeant Erik Burt was credited with providing exceptional logistical support throughout the week.
What the FBI-LEEDA Command Leadership Institute Is
FBI-LEEDA, which stands for the FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Association, is a national nonprofit organization that partners with the FBI to deliver professional leadership training to law enforcement executives and managers across the country. The FBI-LEEDA curriculum is structured around three progressive institutes: Supervisor Leadership Institute, Command Leadership Institute, and the Executive Leadership Institute. Completing all three earns a participant the Trilogy Award, which is widely regarded as a significant career milestone in law enforcement leadership development.
The Command Leadership Institute specifically focuses on command-level topics including organizational development, personnel management, strategic planning, legal updates, and community engagement. Participants typically spend a full week working through case studies, discussion groups, and applied leadership exercises designed to prepare mid-level and senior officers for executive responsibilities.
Hannah Zabel's achievement is notable in part because the Trilogy Award is not commonly earned by records professionals. While the program is most often associated with sworn officers moving into command ranks, the inclusion of civilian law enforcement professionals like records managers reflects the growing recognition that effective agency leadership requires expertise across both sworn and non-sworn roles.
A Multi-Agency Week in Bellingham
Beyond the Whatcom County Sheriff's Office graduates, the Command Leadership Institute in Bellingham drew participants representing 11 agencies from across Washington state. Nineteen leaders in total successfully completed the program during the week-long session. The class also produced nine Trilogy Award recipients, recognizing those who had previously completed the Supervisor Leadership Institute and the Executive Leadership Institute in addition to this week's Command Leadership Institute.
Instructors Kim Edmondson and Daryll McSwain led the coursework, and the Whatcom County Sheriff's Office acknowledged them in its official announcement for "sharing their expertise and creating an engaging learning experience." FBI-LEEDA instructors are typically retired or active law enforcement executives with extensive command experience.
Hosting an FBI-LEEDA Command Leadership Institute is a meaningful distinction for the Bellingham Police Department. Agencies that host these sessions typically provide classroom space, logistical coordination, and a welcoming environment for participants coming from departments across the region. Chief Mertzig's involvement and the participation of BPD command staff in welcoming the class reflects the department's investment in regional law enforcement relationships.
Why Local Leadership Development Matters
Law enforcement leadership training programs like FBI-LEEDA exist in part because the transition from line officer to supervisor or commander involves a fundamentally different skill set. Officers who excel at patrol, investigation, or specialized assignments do not automatically have the organizational management, communication, and strategic planning skills needed to run a unit or agency effectively. Structured programs close that gap in a setting that brings together peers from different departments, allowing participants to learn from each other's experiences as much as from the formal curriculum.
For the Whatcom County Sheriff's Office, having staff at the command and records management level complete the full FBI-LEEDA sequence signals an investment in institutional capacity. Records management is a legally and operationally critical function for any law enforcement agency, governing how evidence is tracked, how public records requests are handled, and how internal documentation supports both prosecutions and agency accountability.
Detective Sergeant Gates' completion of the Command Leadership Institute positions him for additional responsibilities within the Sheriff's Office. The Whatcom County Sheriff's Office has been active in recent months in both community engagement and regional law enforcement coordination, and this training is consistent with that pattern of professional development investment.
What Comes Next
Both graduates are now part of the national FBI-LEEDA network, which connects law enforcement leaders across the country and provides access to ongoing professional development resources, updated legal guidance, and leadership research. Hannah Zabel's Trilogy Award also makes her eligible for recognition at the national FBI-LEEDA level, where Trilogy Award recipients are formally acknowledged each year.
For residents of Whatcom County, the completion of this training by Sheriff's Office staff is a positive signal about the agency's commitment to building internal leadership capacity. Law enforcement agencies that invest in structured leadership development tend to demonstrate better outcomes in personnel management, community relations, and accountability, all areas that directly affect how the Sheriff's Office serves the county's 230,000-plus residents.
