Granby Police Sergeant Graduates From FBI Academy

Submitted release.

Granby Police Sergeant Kurt LaFlamme graduated from the 254th session of the FBI National Academy on Sept. 20, 2013.

Less than 1 percent of law enforcement officers have the opportunity to attend the prestigious FBI National Academy. The Granby Police Department now has three graduates: Chief Carl Rosensweig, Captain William Tyler, and Sergeant Kurt LaFlamme.

Sergeant LaFlamme was part of a class of 208 law enforcement professionals that spent ten weeks taking undergraduate and/or graduate college courses at the Quantico, Virginia campus in the following areas: law, behavioral science, forensic science, understanding terrorism/terrorist mindsets, leadership development, communication, and health/fitness. The class included students from 49 states, the District of Columbia, 22 foreign countries, three military organizations, and one federal agency. Officers participated in a wide range of leadership and specialized training, and they share ideas, techniques, and experiences with each other, creating lifelong partnerships that span state and national lines.

In addition to the demanding academic and professional requirements, attendees also participate in a challenging physical training and fitness program culminating in “The Yellow Brook Road.” The Yellow Brook Road consists of a grueling 6.1-mile run through a hilly, wooded trail built by the Marines. Along the way, the participants must climb over walls, run through creeks, jump through simulated windows, scale rock faces with ropes, crawl under barbed wire in muddy water, maneuver across a cargo net, and more. When, and if, the students complete this difficult test, they receive an actual yellow brick to memorialize their achievement. The course came to be known as the “Yellow Brick Road” years ago, after the Marines placed yellow bricks at various spots to show runners the way through the wooded trail. The overall fitness challenge began at the National Academy in 1981 and has evolved over the years.