Texas Southern University DPS Command Staff Earns Prestigious FBI-LEEDA Trilogy Award

The Texas Southern University Department of Public Safety (TSU DPS) has reached a significant milestone in law enforcement leadership training, with its entire command staff completing the prestigious FBI- LEEDA Trilogy Award.

The award recognizes individuals who complete all three phases of FBI-LEEDA’s core leadership programs: the Supervisor Leadership Institute (SLI), Command Leadership Institute (CLI), and Executive Leadership Institute (ELI). Achieving Trilogy status represents a commitment to professional growth, leadership excellence, and advancing law enforcement standards across agencies nationwide.

What Is FBI-LEEDA?

The FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Association (FBI-LEEDA) was founded in 1991 by graduates of the FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Seminar (LEEDS) and Special Supervisory Agent Robert McCarthy. Incorporated as a nonprofit in 1992, the association has grown into a premier provider of leadership and management training for law enforcement professionals.

Initially hosting annual training conferences at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia, FBI-LEEDA expanded in 1998 to hold national conferences in cities across the U.S., bringing together law enforcement leaders, vendors, and partners to share best practices and explore cutting-edge technology.

By 2002, the association had launched new leadership and management programs, laying the groundwork for its core Trilogy series. In 2009, the Trilogy Award was established to honor those who successfully completed the three flagship institutes.

Today, FBI-LEEDA has more than 12,000 members from across the United States, its territories, and several foreign countries. Its programs cover not only leadership development but also specialized training in areas such as internal affairs, media and public relations, cultural awareness, and online distance learning.

The Significance of the Trilogy Award

FBI-LEEDA instructors emphasize “the leadership journey” in all classes, encouraging police leaders to see leadership as a purposeful undertaking. The Trilogy Series offers a comprehensive leadership education that strengthens leadership identity at any level.

While the courses can be taken in any order, they are ideally completed sequentially, as each builds on the last. Taking time between sessions, anywhere from a few months to a year, allows participants to absorb and practice the skills they’ve learned.

The Trilogy Award recognizes not only the completion of these three courses but also the application of their core principles: Leadership, Courage, and Knowledge—the FBI-LEEDA way.