MEDIA RELEASE
Sergeant Shawn Natter and Sergeant Mark Thompson Graduated From Northwestern University Center for Public Safety School of 
Contact Person: Chief Deputy Barbara J. Tillman
(608) 757-7948
Date: July 26, 2019
The Rock County Sheriff’s Office is pleased to announce the recent graduation of Sergeant Shawn Natter and Sergeant Mark Thompson from the School of Police Staff and Command (SPSC) at Northwestern University. Sergeant Shawn Natter and Sergeant Mark Thompson have successfully completed the ten (10) week Staff and Command program held in Rockford, Illinois, from March 4 – June 14, 2019. This program, which was implemented by the Center for Public Safety in 1983, has graduated over 20,000 students both nationally and internationally. Sergeant Shawn Natter and Sergeant Mark Thompson were students in SPSC Class #456 which accommodated a total of 27 students for the ten week period.
The School of Police Staff and Command provides upper-level college instruction in a total of twenty-seven core blocks of instruction and additional optional blocks during each session. The major topics of study include: Leadership, Human Resources, Employee Relations, Organizational Behavior, Applied Statistics, Planning and Policy Development, Budgeting and Resource Allocation.
Each student is academically challenged through written examinations, projects, presentations and quizzes in addition to a staff study paper that are all required parts of the curriculum. Upon successful completion, students may be awarded a total of 6 units of undergraduate credit from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.
The Center for Public Safety was established at Northwestern University in 1936 with the specific goal of expanding university-based education and training for the Law Enforcement Community. Since its inception, the Center has broadened its original objective and now provides a variety of courses and programs in the area of Police Training, Management Training, and Executive Development.
The Rock County Sheriff’s Office anticipates a variety of benefits from Sergeant Shawn Natter’s and Sergeant Mark Thompson’s attendance at this program. Many of the program’s graduates do go on to achieve a variety of leadership positions within their respective agencies.
Troy J. Knudson
Sheriff
By: Chief Deputy Barbara J. Tillman
Address/Location
Rock County Sheriff's Office
200 E USH 14
Janesville, WI 53545
Contact
Emergency: 9-1-1
Non-emergencies: 608-757-8000
