On September 12th, 2024, Deputy Chief David Woods Jr., a 27-year veteran of the Duncan Police Department, graduated from the 291st session of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Va. Internationally known for its academic excellence, the National Academy offers 10 weeks of advanced communication, leadership, and fitness training. The course is designed to enhance the graduate’s credentials in their field and to raise law enforcement standards, knowledge, and cooperation worldwide. Since its inception in 1935, the FBI National Academy has graduated more than 55,000 officers from around the world. Nationally, fewer than one percent of officers have the opportunity to attend the program.
“Since I arrived” stated Woods, “faculty and classmates have pushed me to excel spiritually, mentally, and physically. The instructors are top notch, and the course work is extensive. I have made new friends from the outer banks of North Carolina to Alaska and many states in between as well as friends who live in Spain, Pakistan, Lebanon, Mexico, Ecuador, Bangladesh, Cyprus, and Italy. I learned an effective technique that I hope to use at our agency to help fight crime and make the community of Duncan a safer place to live. This was a once in a lifetime event and I am beyond blessed for having the opportunity and the support of my department, friends, family and most of all, my wife, to attend. I will walk away a different man then when I arrived and I hope to use what I have learned to make my department, and the community that we serve, an even better place to live and raise a family.”
Woods, alongside two hundred and fifty-three law enforcement officers from 26 countries, 7 military organizations and 7 federal civilian organizations, earned 15 hours towards a master’s degree.
“Deputy Chief Woods follows the legacy of many other leaders that have served with the Duncan Police Department. We are proud to have a long history with the FBI National Academy. This relationship dates back to 1958, when Chief Virgil Zackary attended the 61st Session of the FBI National Academy. We are immensely proud of Deputy Chief Woods for his dedication to the Duncan Police Department, its employees, and the community he continues to serve.” says Chief Brian Attaway.