Maryville Deputy Police Chief Brandon Ponce completes FBI’s Quantico Training
Maryville likely only Metro East municipality where police chief, dep chief have taken this training
Maryville Deputy Police Chief Brandon Ponce.
By Kathy Turner • MARYVILLE – What would you say if someone offered you a 10-week ‘vacation’ that included traveling 835 miles away from your family, friends and job? What if that vacation included hours and hours of classroom instruction, intense physical training and tests, and the ‘privilege’ of sharing a dorm room with a stranger?
Starting to sound a little less attractive? Well, not for Maryville’s Deputy Chief Brandon Ponce who jumped at the chance to enter an intense 10-week training course with the FBI in Quantico, Virginia.
The training sessions are offered to less than one percent of the world’s police officers. It draws trainees from around the world, not just the United States. And application and acceptance can be daunting.
First, the trainee must be nominated by someone who is a graduate of the program. Then, they must complete an intense application process. And, finally, they must be willing to give up their life with family, friends and co-workers for those 10 weeks.
“I could not have done this without the support of my family, the community and my department,” said Ponce. “My wife, Jessica, and two daughters, Alayna and Ashlyn, sacrificed the entire summer to make this possible. Jessica was a rock star, handling everything two 12-year-olds could throw at her alone.”
He also added, “My co-workers filled in for me at the Maryville Police Department. And, the village board and community supported me every step of the way. They all made this possible.”
But Brandon calls the opportunity an ‘amazing experience.’ He trained alongside police officers from not only around the United States but also the world.
“What we found out quickly is that we all face the same challenges and concerns, just on a different scale,” he said.
Classroom instruction is taught through the University of Virginia. It was intense and involved class projects, working with others on presentations and hours of studying. The whole experience was similar to a brief summer session in a master’s program according to Ponce.
When they weren’t in the classroom, trainees were on an intense physical training program coupled with a health and wellness program. The culmination of that was a six-mile obstacle course at the conclusion of the program in order to pass.
Ponce said one of the highlights was the opportunity to network with other officers. “I worked hand-in-hand with New York City police officers, officers from small towns, and officers from other countries. I know that if a situation arises in the future here in Maryville, I will have many people to contact to see how they have handled similar challenges,” he said.
He also discovered that sometimes it’s a really small world. He met an officer from the Hillsboro County Florida Sheriff’s department near Tampa Bay who knew someone that Ponce had attended military training with many years ago.
Ponce said that one of the biggest challenges, besides missing his family, was adjusting to ‘dorm’ life. “I shared a room with an officer from Mississippi. He was a great guy, but it’s been a long time since I shared a small space with someone I didn’t really know,” he said. The comradery seemed to make the experience more pleasant.
The trainees did have an opportunity to visit Washington, D.C. during the training. “We had private tours to the White House, the Capitol and the Pentagon,” said Ponce. It was his first time visiting the landmarks.
“Our graduation was made a little more special because Kash Patel, the Director of the FBI, was our speaker and presented us with our diplomas,” said Ponce. “He shook our hands and called us by name. It was an honor.”
Ponce is back in Maryville now, ready to share everything he learned with his fellow officers at the Maryville Police Department. “I have an entire binder full of notes,” he said. “I just met with Chief Manley and told him about some things that I thought we might be able to implement here.”
Ponce said on Sept. 11 that “Collinsville’s Police Chief has attended the National Academy and I know Collinsville has a history of sending people. I’m not sure about Edwardsville but I don’t think Glen Carbon or Troy has sent anyone [to Quantico.] I attended Session #295 with Lt. Shane Brown from Belleville Police Department.”
Police Chief Tony Manley agreed. “There are several other command leadership programs, however the FBI North America is widely considered the most prestigious and a more difficult one to attend,” he said.
Deputy Chief Ponce just started his 20th year with the Maryville Police Department. After all that time, he’s seen a lot and experienced a lot. But all indications are that the opportunity to train with the FBI at Quantico opened his eyes to many more things that will benefit him, his community and the Maryville Police Department.
