Clanton Police Chief Brian Stilwell has earned a special accreditation for police chiefs and other law enforcement executives.

Stilwell recently completed the Certified Law Enforcement Executive Accreditation program. The Alabama Peace Officers Standards and Training Commission conducts the program, along with other law enforcement organizations.

To earn the accreditation, chiefs and other executive must complete 240 hours of class work and training, held at universities and colleges across the state in 2-3 day sessions. The program takes about five years to complete; so far, just 53 police chiefs across the state have finished the course.

Classes touch on various topics that chiefs would need as department administrators. A few topics include budgeting, writing grants, money and time management, policy and regulations, and risk management and liability.