Sheriff Pat Eliasen of the Cook County Sheriff’s Office completed participation in the first session of the National Sheriffs’ Institute (NSI) Communicating for Impact in Quantico, Virginia, June 9-13, 2025. This no-cost program is provided by the National Institute of Corrections, U.S. Department of Justice, in collaboration with the Major County Sheriffs of America.

Sheriff Eliasen was selected to join 17 other sheriffs from across the country to attend the NSI’s first offering of this course, which focuses on enhancing a sheriff’s ability to inspire, motivate, inform, build trust, and lead change, while promoting and supporting their organization’s mission, vision, and values.

The NSI is the only executive leadership training program designed specifically for sheriffs to prepare them for all matters that impact the Office of the Sheriff. The NSI was first developed and presented in the early 1970s in response to a need by sheriffs to meet the evolving demands of the office. The NSI has gone through many iterations throughout its history. 

The NSI currently offers two additional courses of study: the Jail Leadership course, which assists sheriffs in identifying critical aspects of jail operations and defining an operational philosophy for their jail that aligns with their organization’s mission and the constitutional requirements of operating a jail; and the Leadership Development course, which gives sheriffs the opportunity to assess their leadership strengths, define a leadership direction, and identify how to effectively engage their leadership team to advance their organization’s mission, vision, and values.

Sheriff Eliasen has also completed both of these courses.

For more information, visit https://info.nicic.gov/nsi/.