USD Master of Law Enforcement and Public Safety Leadership Online

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USD Master of Law Enforcement and Public Safety Leadership Online

Gain the leadership and management skills to command your unit & advance your law enforcement career.

The 100% Online Master of Science in Law Enforcement and Public Safety Leadership provides you with an education that goes beyond a typical criminal justice degree. Unlike other programs, USD’s degree focuses on a multi-faceted law enforcement education that examines leadership, management, organizational theory, critical issues, community assessment, budget and finance, public safety law, and con

flict resolution in addition to criminal justice topics. All courses provide real-world, skills-based learning and practical application in a 100% online environment that accommodates busy schedules.

04/27/2026

Have you ever felt like you weren't ready — even when you were?

Chief Nicholas Snyder of the Lancaster, Ohio Division of Police, felt that too. He calls it imposter syndrome. And rather than push it aside, he leaned into it, enrolling in the LEPSL program so he could keep growing as a leader. Not for a certificate, but for his officers, for his community, for the profession he loves.

And today we are proud to name Chief Nicholas Snyder as the recipient of the prestigious Jim Davis Lighting the Way Forward Award.

What makes this award fitting isn't just the high quality of the work he submitted, but what he does with what he learns, putting on trainings for law enforcement leaders throughout Ohio so that they all can grow together.

He came to this profession shaped by people who invested in him, and he hasn't forgotten that.

As faculty member Tim Albright put it: "That, ladies and gentlemen, is lighting the way forward."

Congratulations, Chief Snyder. The LEPSL community celebrates you. 🎓

Lancaster Police Department Nicholas Snyder

04/23/2026

Congratulations to the 46 law enforcement professionals who have just completed their MS-LEPSL coursework and have joined the prestigious nationwide network of LEPSL graduates. What an amazing, challenging, and insightful journey of growth and learning it has been.

The LEPSL Spring 2026 graduating class includes professionals from Washington, Texas, South Carolina, Oregon, Maryland, Illinois, Florida, Colorado and California.

Job titles range from police officer and deputy sheriff to chief of police. Many work with municipal police departments or county sheriff departments, but other represent probation departments, state patrol, port police, federal agencies, state correctional departments, and departments of public safety. And several of these graduates work with departments that have a long history with LEPSL.

We look forward to seeing all of you with your families and support people next month for the formal commencement celebration. 🎓 🙌 👊

04/17/2026

The LEPSL faculty is pleased to announce the awardees of the prestigious Phillip Collum Award for the Spring 2026 Best Practices in Community Engagement course. 🎉

Each of these awardees was selected by a faculty member, having demonstrated academic excellence and mentorship to their peers, in addition to engaging robustly in course discussions.

Effective law enforcement starts with trust and partnership. We are incredibly proud to honor these awardees who are balancing their duties on the street with a commitment to becoming the empathetic, forward-thinking leaders their communities deserve. We are incredibly proud to honor these recipients! 👏

⭐ Captain Kelli Crigler, Signal Hill PD
⭐ Detective Ryan Diener, Baltimore PD
⭐ Commander Gregory Gonzales, Simi Valley PD
⭐ Sergeant Jeremy Kelley, Salisbury PD
⭐ Captain Kal Kunz, Ontario PD
⭐ Correctional Deputy Maxime Schifano, Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office
⭐ Sr. Latent Print Examiner Denise Shepard, Chula Vista PD
⭐ Chief Nicholas Snyder, City of Lancaster PD
⭐ Infrastructure Liaison Officer Matthew Sutton, U.S. Marines Corps Forces

Baltimore Police Department Simi Valley Police Department Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office Chula Vista Police Department Nicholas Snyder Lancaster Police Department Hawaii Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation - DCR

04/15/2026

“Material that is directly applicable to today’s law enforcement leadership challenges.” 🎯

That is the goal of every course in LEPSL. We are so proud to see our students immediately applying their leadership growth to real-world challenges in their professional and personal lives.

Congratulations to Commander Portillo and all the public safety leaders who have recently completed their MS-LEPSL coursework and are set to graduate next month! 👏 We are honored to have you in the LEPSL family.🙏

03/20/2026

What a time we had at the Cal Chiefs Conference! 🙌

We always love this event, but honestly, the best part is seeing so many familiar faces from our LEPSL family show up. Alumni, current students, faculty members ... the folks who are leading change and protecting communities across California. You all continue to inspire us.

Swipe through for all the photos. We tried to get everyone but we know we missed quite a few of you, especially in the group photo. If we missed you, come find us next year! 📸

03/13/2026

They say leadership is about the people who follow you, but for Captain Cal Kunz, it’s about the people who surpass you.

Cal realized early in his career that when he focused less on his own goals and more on mentoring others, the entire profession won. He didn’t just lead departments; he built future Chiefs.

The ultimate "humble brag"? After a distinguished career as a Chief for departments from Oregon to Nevada, he’s now back in uniform as a Captain, working for a Chief he once mentored. That’s not just a career path; that’s a masterclass in servant leadership.

Help us congratulate Captain Cal Kunz from the Ontario (OR) Police Department on receiving the Spring 2026 Jim Davis Lighting the Way Forward Award! 🕯️✨

03/05/2026

The LEPSL faculty is pleased to announce the awardees of the prestigious Phillip Collum Award for the Spring 2026 Public Safety in a Dynamic World course. 🏆

Each of these awardees was selected by a faculty member, having demonstrated academic excellence and mentorship to their peers, in addition to engaging robustly in course discussions.

We say it each semester because it's true - our LEPSL students consistently raise the bar. Their commitment to academic leadership in the ever-changing landscape of law enforcement is truly admirable. We appreciate their hard work and are excited to honor these incredible awardees! 🎉

⭐ Lieutenant Anna Bungartz, Aurora PD
⭐ SWAT Team Leader Alfred Corso, Los Angeles PD
⭐ Captain Kelli Crigler, Signal Hill PD
⭐ Deputy Chief Robert Hines, Fairfax County PD
⭐ Sergeant Jeremy Kelley, Salisbury PD
⭐ Captain Cal Kunz, Ontario PD
⭐ Lieutenant Jaime Martinez, Pomona PD
⭐ Lieutenant Carlos Sanchez, Orange County Sheriff's Department
⭐ Infrastructure Liaison Officer Matthew Sutton, U.S. Marine Corps Forces

LAPD Headquarters Orange County Sheriff's Department, CA Fairfax County Police Department

02/10/2026

LEPSL program director Dr. Erik Fritsvold was honored to attend the graduation ceremony of the CA POST Command College Class 75. A whopping 7 members of the LEPSL community were members of this class, which really underscores how truly committed to leadership development these impressive law enforcement professionals are. Great leaders never stop learning!

Warmest congratulations to:
🔹Captain Chahmal Kerow, San Francisco PD (LEPSL Class of 2021)
🔹Supervising Agent in Charge Jennifer Delarosa, Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (LEPSL Class of 2027)
🔹Lt. Travis Higgins, La Mesa PD (LEPSL Class of 2027)
🔹Chief Christopher Ramos, Beaumont PD (LEPSL Class of 2024)
🔹Commander Edward Caliento, Ventura PD (LEPSL Class of 2023)
🔹Captain Jeff Bishop, LA District Attorney's Office (LEPSL Class of 2027)
🔹Assistant Chief Ali Miri, San Jose PD (LEPSL Class of 2027)

01/09/2026

Today on Law Enforcement Appreciation Day for 2026, this is a message from the University of San Diego Law Enforcement Public Safety Leadership Master's program that we call LEPSL. The purpose of this day is simple. It's powerful. We want to pause and say thank you. Thank you to you and your families for the sacrifices that you make to save and serve our country.

Sometimes that appreciation gets blurred by political events, noise, other things. But know this, no matter what happens, our communities are safer because of you. My name is Mike Loarie, and I serve on faculty at USD's LEPSL Program. I'm a retired law enforcement professional with over three and a half decades of service.

I know personally and professionally the sacrifices that you make in order to serve your community. You're the professional who answers the 9-1-1 call on dispatch. You're the officer, the deputy that shows up first on scene. You make big decisions on demand that are criticized later on, and sometimes you've got incidents that are mundane but very complex that require focus and dedication and relentless attention to detail. To our first line leaders, thank you for investing in our future leadership.

And to public safety leadership overall and everywhere. Keep leading on because how you lead matters. We know that what happens in one place can impact us all. I tell my students to remember one thing in my classes: KOLO, keep on leading on (K-O-L-O).

Lead with purpose.
Serve with humility.
Protect with courage.

And above all know this: people count on you. Your communities count on you. Your communities appreciate you.

Stay safe and KOLO. God bless.

12/23/2025

Connecting law enforcement leaders from across the country (and beyond) is a big priority for the LEPSL program, and when we see moments like this one that happened last week in Cape Coral, FL it sure makes us smile! LEPSL faculty member Dennis Nayor was in town teaching an FBI-LEEDA course and was able to schedule an impromptu lunch with Chief Anthony Sizemore (LEPSL Class of 2023) and Deputy Chief Dana Coston (LEPSL Class of 2026). So great to see you all together... thank for sending in the picture!📸

12/19/2025

Congratulations to Captain Kelli Crigler of the Signal Hill Police Department, the winner of the prestigious Jim Davis Lighting the Way Forward Award for the Fall 2025 Communication Skills for Law Enforcement Leaders Course. Captain Crigler has proven to be a leader among leaders throughout her time in the program, and her servant leadership philosophy has been a benefit to peers of all ranks who have shared a class with her. 👏👏

A self-described lifelong learned, Captain Crigler enrolled in LEPSL after attending California POST's Command College. Notably, this is her second master's degree! She emphasized that one of the things that makes the LEPSL experience so uniquely rewarding is the ability to tackle contemporary issues alongside law enforcement professionals from all ranks, geographic areas and department type and size. She believes this diversity of viewpoints is helping her be a better leader in her organization.

Captain Crigler, your LEPSL community congratulates you on being named the Jim Davis Lighting the Way Forward award recipient. ✨ Your selfless approach to leadership, community building and mentorship has been a gift to those in the program, and undoubtedly uplifts your agency and your community.

Address

5998 Alcala Park
San Diego, CA
92110

Telephone

+16192604580

Website

http://criminaljustice.sandiego.edu/

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