BROOKVILLE — Brookville Police Major Tom Simon graduated June 8, 2023.

Simon didn’t graduate from Brookville High School on that date. Nor did he graduate from an area college.

Major Tom Simon graduated from the FBI National Academy’s prestigious 10-week program for law enforcement personnel, held at the Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia.

Simon received his program certificate on June 28 from FBI Director Christopher Wray.

Simon, who began the program on April 1, said the FBI National Academy is one of the most premier law enforcement training programs in the world.

“The academy was founded in 1935 by J. Edgar Hoover in response to a study that was conducted in 1930,” Simon said.

“The study recommended standardization among law enforcement,” Simon added.

Simon pointed out the program is not just for law enforcement personnel in the United States.

Simon said the program is also available to law enforcement personnel from around the world.

“Our class actually had 25 percent participants from other countries,” Simon said.

“Our class was made up of 47 different states and the District of Columbia, law enforcement agencies from 25 different countries, five military organizations and six federal civilian organizations,” Simon added.

Simon noted anyone interested in attending the academy has to submit an application.

“Then it’s invitation only through a nomination process,” Simon said.

Simon said Brookville Police Chief Doug Jerome nominated him for the program.

Simon said before he was accepted he had to go through a myriad process, including health examinations, to see if he was fit enough to participate in the program.

“Prior to going to the academy, the FBI timed me on a timed-run to make sure I was fit to attend,” Simon said.

Simon also noted a candidate for the program must have at least 60 college credits and be in a command-level position in the candidate’s agency in order to be accepted.

“I also had to agree to remain in law enforcement for three years after graduation from the academy,’ Simon said.

Simon said the academy offers numerous undergraduate and graduate courses and those individuals attending the academy have to select the courses best suited for them and/or their department.

Simon said because of the large number of participants and the limited amount of space in each of the classes he managed to enroll in four of the five courses he wanted.

Simon said in addition to learning from the instructors of the various courses, another benefit of the classes was the networking with other classmates.

Simon also noted he earned college credit from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville upon the completion of the courses.

But, according to Simon, not all the courses were cerebral in nature.

“The last course is a mandatory physical fitness class,” Simon said.

“You are scheduled for two, two-hour physical fitness classes a week with 30 minutes of the time set aside for showering at the end of the class,” Simon said.

Simon noted the instructors for the physical fitness classes “are very serious about what they do.”

“They essentially prepare you for the ‘Yellow Brick Road’ at the end of the program,” Simon said.

Simon said the “Yellow Brick Road” is a 6.1-mile obstacle course, which is the final test of the academy’s fitness challenge.

According to the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, the Yellow Brick Road is a “hilly, wooded trail built by the U.S. Marines.”

The Bulletin said the course requires participants “to climb over walls, run through creeks, jump through simulated windows, scale rock faces with ropes, crawl under barbed wire in muddy water and maneuver across a cargo net and more.”

The Bulletin said “the course became known as the “Yellow Brick Road” after the Marines placed yellow bricks at various locations to show runners the way through the wooded trail.

The Bulletin noted the FBI began awarding the yellow bricks in 1988 to participants who successfully completed the obstacle course.

Simon said the physical fitness instructors essentially prepared the participants for the obstacle course during the weeks prior to the end of the program.

“Each Wednesday morning’s challenge was themed off the ‘Yellow Brick Road’ from ‘The Wizard of Oz,’” Simon said.

Simon said the themed challenges were:

• The 10-man trot

• Cyclone

• Not in Kansas Anymore

• Off to See the Wizard

• Marine Monkey 5-k run

• Wicked Witch

• Emerald City mile

Simon said despite the training leading up to the “Yellow Brick Road,” it didn’t really prepare him for the obstacle course when it was time to experience it.

“It’s very deceiving because only two miles of the course has obstacles and then they just make you run four miles,” Simon said.

“If you are a runner, the ‘Yellow Brick Road’ is no big deal to run,” Simon said.

Simon did say maneuvering through the obstacles was “fun.”

But he said participants had to rely on their own physical abilities to conquer such obstacles as scaling the rock faces.

“They don’t give you a safety harness. You literally just grab a rope and climb up a cliff,” Simon said.

Simon said at the conclusion of the obstacle course, he was presented with the yellow brick to cap off his achievement.

“It was definitely worth it,” Simon said of his experience with the obstacle course.

Simon also said earning the yellow brick guaranteed his return to Brookville.

“The brick is what the chief told me not to come back to Brookville without, so I made sure I came back with it,” Simon said, grinning while holding the yellow prized possession.

Simon said he was humbled and grateful to have the opportunity to attend the 10-week program.

“It was a great experience. I’m glad I got to go. It’s definitely something I’ll never forget,” Simon said.

Reach Terry Baver at [email protected].