When thinking of a day in the life of a Detroit police officer, does balancing a budget come to mind? The Detroit Police Department (DPD) has an annual budget approaching $330 million, and the city’s leaders had a challenge: how to equip police leaders to most effectively manage such a large responsibility. Wayne State University’s Mike Ilitch School of Business and leaders from Detroit city government worked with the DPD to create the Detroit Police Department Leadership Academy. The accelerated program provides post-graduate training in business and leadership to members of DPD’s executive team free of charge. The selection process is competitive, and the course of study is rigorous. Participants graduate with a certificate and approximately half the credits needed to obtain an M.B.A. Last month, four members of DPD’s executive team—First Assistant Chief Lashinda T. Stair, Assistant Chief David LeValley, Commander DeShaune Sims and Commander Kari Sloan—became the first DPD Leadership Academy graduates to go on and obtain their M.B.A. degrees.