Eureka Police Lt. Michael Werges has returned to the city with a new wealth of law enforcement knowledge.
The 24-year department veteran spent 10 weeks at Quantico, Va., taking part in the FBI National Academy.
He said the academy educates law enforcement leaders about the current best practices on topics such as counterterrorism, crime scene processing, criminal investigations, officer wellness and community relations. He also said the academy is designed to enhance participants’ leadership skills and physical abilities.
“It’s very broad. There is also a strong physical requirement,” said Werges, 48, of Eureka.
Werges is the third member of the department to graduate from the academy, said Chief Michael Wiegand, who graduated from the academy in 1998. He said now-retired Capt. David Wilson graduated from the academy in 2004.
“It’s a fully rounded program that teaches commanders a little bit better how to organize and manage their job and their skills as a law enforcement executive,” Wiegand said. “Highly educated and motivated police officers are what we want, because they make better decisions in the field.”
Werges said he left Eureka on July 9 to attend the academy. A graduation ceremony was held Sept. 13, and he was only able to return twice while he was in Virginia.
“It was a big commitment for my family to be gone for that amount of time,” he said.
Werges said the sacrifice was worth it because of what he learned.
“What I brought back was the most current level of training and best practices in the law enforcement industry, not only in the U.S., but globally,” said Werges, who said he is considering which master’s degree program to enroll in.
Werges said he earned a certificate from the University of Virginia at graduation, which equals nine credit hours, and plans to use the certificate to earn a master’s degree in criminal justice administration. He said he is looking at which school he wants to attend.
The academy
Werges said he lived in a dorm at the FBI Academy, and along with learning law enforcement concepts and practices, he had to complete physical training exercises four times a week.
“There’s a requirement. If you don’t make it, you’re out,” he said. “I ran a (7 minute, 26 second) mile when I was there, and I’m 48 years old. I’m pretty proud of that. I wasn’t always in such great shape, so it was a good accomplishment.”
Werges said academy students earned colored bricks as they met training goals.
He received a yellow brick after completing a 6.1-mile obstacle course called the Yellow Brick Road, and he was given a black brick for traveling more than 283 miles on a bicycle in six weeks. He said the 283 miles was symbolic that his class was the 283rd to attend the academy.
“I ended up with about 300 miles,” he said.
Werges said both bricks are in his office at the Eureka Police Station.
“Everybody who comes (to the academy) wants to come back with a yellow brick. That’s the symbol of your physical success at the academy,” he said.
Werges said his class took a field trip to New York City to study how law enforcement officials operated in one of the biggest cities in the world.
“The biggest thing that I learned from the experience is whether it’s in a community like Eureka or like New York City, we all deal with similar problems,” he said. “The manner in which we address those problems can sometimes be unique, but at other times it is very similar.”
Werges said he was honored by being selected to attend the academy, and he feels like he is part of an exclusive fraternity.
“The FBI National Academy is the premier law enforcement training for law enforcement executives in the world, so only 1 percent of people who are eligible are selected to attend,” he said. “It’s very prestigious to be selected.”
The future
The training Werges received at the academy may lead him to becoming the next Eureka Police chief.
Wiegand said he will not seek re-election in 2025 as the city marshal, who is named the city’s chief after each election. He was elected for a 10th four-year term in April 2021.
“I am going to pull the plug. I am going to retire in a couple of years,” said Wiegand, who has worked for the department for more than 42 years. “I want to make sure that when I leave, the police department is in a very good position to extract from what they have, and have leadership here to carry on without any break in service. I want it to be as seamless as possible.”
Wiegand said he is mentoring his replacements, whom he sees as either Werges or Lt. Michael Tapp. Wiegand said he would like to see Tapp also attend the FBI National Academy in a couple of years.
“We’re trying to get their education to where they need to be to make sure they can handle the job,” he said.