CU Boulder Police Commander Paula Balafas has graduated from the prestigious School of Police Staff and Command (SPSC) at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. The 22-week program was held online due to COVID-19.
SPSC is designed to prepare law enforcement managers for positions of greater responsibility by combining academic principles with practical applications. The SPSC creates an environment for building relationships, sharing experiencesĚýand developing resources from other law enforcement agencies that will last long after the course ends.
“I am extremely thankful to Chief Jokerst for providing me the time to attend this highly-regarded command school to help me develop my skills as a police leader,” said Balafas. “It was a wonderful learning experience, and I am so appreciative of all the instructors for their time and expertise.”
The School of Police Staff and Command provides instruction in more than 25 core blocks of instruction plus additional optional blocks during each session. The major areas of study include leadership, human resources, employee relations, organizational behavior, applied statistics, planning and policy development, budgetingĚýand resource allocation.
“This class allowed me the opportunity to conduct research and write a staff study paper that examined an aspect of our police department in which we could improve our processes,” Balafas said.
Commander Balafas has been with CUPD for more than three years and has more than 30 years of experience in law enforcement. Currently, she serves as president of the National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives.
