Manhattan Police Chief Ryan Gulli recently completed an advanced professional development program in police leadership at Northwestern University, improving his skill set and enabling him to better lead the village’s police department.
Attending the program was voluntary, but it is one most senior command staff will attend to ensure they are prepared for the job. The Northwestern University Center for Public Safety School of Police Staff and Command had approximately 34 students graduate in this class, representing 26 Illinois police departments, Gulli explained.
“To have a staff that can keep the daily operations going with no hiccups is amazing – it’s all because of them,” Gulli said of the police department.
School took place during working hours over 20 weeks, with two weeks on followed by two weeks off, so the rest of the department would need to be capable of running smoothly while he was attending classes. He still had to fulfill his duties as chief, but Gulli explained that knowing the department could handle operations in his absence made it possible for him to complete the coursework. He explained it was like any other collegiate, professional development program, with plenty of homework and reading outside of class.
The coursework is designed for experienced officers and is tailored to help them succeed in senior command positions. Coursework included sections on statistics, organizational behavior, leadership, employee workplace relations, human resources, strategic planning management, finance, resource allocation, traffic, and more.
During the rigorous program, Gulli would apply the skills he had freshly learned from the strategic planning unit to the major undertaking of keeping Irish Fest safe, planning how police would man the event to ensure the village was not vulnerable to violence.
Gulli also explained the statistics unit was “hugely important,” noting that “you can apply math to every aspect of this job.”
He explained statistics could be used to determine the amount of manpower needed, where and when, what resources are required for different events, and whether personnel are staffed appropriately.
Gulli gave a lot of credit to his predecessor Jeff Wold, the previous police chief who is now the village administrator, for implementing many of the skills learned in school. Gulli explained that knowing the “how and why” behind those decisions made a lot of Wold’s policies and programs make even more sense than they had before.
“Graduating from the Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command with such an impressive academic average of 99.3 percent speaks volumes about his commitment to excellence. I know firsthand how rigorous and rewarding this class is. I graduated from the SPSC in 2008. The program’s emphasis on collaboration and relationship-building will, no doubt, serve him well in his role,” Wold said of Gulli’s performance in school.
The village paid for Gulli to attend the program, but it also will help him run the department more efficiently. Wold added that the skills gained will directly benefit residents through a well-run department.
“His success is bound to bring great benefits to both him and the Village of Manhattan Police Department. It’s always inspiring to see leaders investing in their growth and the betterment of their communities,” Wold added.
One of the units on budgeting was eye-opening for Gulli, as he explained he became more cognizant of how line items are spent after the coursework.
“We have a duty to keep the village safe, but we have to be fiscally responsible while doing so,” Gulli said, explaining that the units on budgeting and resource allocation taught him how to keep his annual budgets lean, without cutting corners, ensuring the crucial items are fully funded.
Both Adrieansen and Wold attended Gulli’s graduation on May 30.
“The Village of Manhattan remains committed to supporting advanced training and professional development for all of our officers,” Mayor Mike Adrieansen said after offering warm congratulations.
Wold added that this achievement and dedication to developing are commendable.
Despite the accolades, Gulli remains humble and driven to continue working toward excellence. While he’s happy the village is number 12 in the state of safest communities, he’s not satisfied.
“I’m very thankful the town and the residents allowed me to attend this to continue my commitment to bettering the department and the village,” Gulli said, adding, “When you Google Manhattan, I want it to be the number one safest place to live.”
Stephanie Irvine is a freelance reporter.