MCPA New Chiefs Mentor Program

Are you a new chief looking for resources and advice? Are you an experienced law enforcement executive willing to share your knowledge and experience with the next generation of law enforcement leaders? 

If your answer to either of those questions is yes, you'd be a perfect fit for the MCPA's new Mentor Program. The program matches veteran chiefs who have been vetted and trained with new chiefs, who have been on the job for less than one year. The Mentor Program is FREE to all MCPA voting members. 

The program works like this: new police chiefs fill out a mentor application and are introduced to an existing chief from the MCPA's Mentor Pool whose expertise and experience match the applicant's wants and needs. The official mentorship lasts for six months. During that time, the mentor will do at least one on-site visit and four additional phone calls or video meetings (Zoom, Teams, etc.). After six months, the official mentorship is over, but the association anticipates many of these relationships will continue. 

"We know that being a new chief can be daunting, lonely and, at times, overwhelming," said MCPA Board Member Terry Stier, police chief in Belle Plaine, MN. "Our goal with the Mentor Program is to ensure new police chiefs have what they need to succeed in the form of direct, on-going support from an experienced peer."

The MCPA Mentor Program is an extension of the Peer Resource Network, which is a list of subject matter experts in a variety of topics available to all MCPA members. The two programs are similar but different, according to MCPA Executive Director Jeff Potts.

"The Peer Resource Network is for new and veteran chiefs who are dealing with one particular issue and want advice right away," said Potts. "The Mentor Program is for new police chiefs who are are looking for support and guidance as they navigate the first six months to a year as the CLEO in their community."

APPLICATIONS

To request a Mentor, please fill out this application.
To become an MCPA Mentor, please fill out this application. 

For questions, contact Terry Stier, Belle Plaine Police Chief at :