Journey down the yellow brick road: ECSO commander graduates from FBI National Academy

The yellow brick road is a path few travel.

Not the brick road from the well-known movie "Wizard of Oz," but a road that only the best of the best law enforcement officers find themselves on in Quantico, Virginia.

Cmdr. Andrew Hobbs from the Escambia County Sheriff's Office found himself on that road, and he'll tell you that journey has made him a better servant of the people here in Escambia County.

"The classes I took were psychology of leadership, and the first couple weeks is talking about your failures as a leader," Hobbs said. "It really gets down to how you can serve people better. Not just people in your agency, but the people in your community."

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Hobbs is the first person from the ECSO selected by the FBI in over a decade to complete the 10-week FBI National Academy training, joining Sheriff Chip Simmons and Chief Deputy Tommi Lyter as fellow graduates.

Simmons was delighted when Hobbs graduated and returned to Escambia County, saying that he was "proud of Commander Hobbs and (is) certain the training he received will make him an even better public servant."

The 10-week program includes rigorous academic coursework accredited by the University of Virginia and a physical training regimen that saw Hobbs drop 31 pounds by his graduation.

In fact, Hobbs said he started dropping weight even before the academy started.

"When I got the call in October (2021) I was going as 336," he said. "I was 283 pounds when I walked into the National Academy, when I walked out I was 252."

Along with the training, Hobbs took advantage of the University of Virginia accreditation and took graduate-level courses revolving around investigative practices and leadership capabilities.

Hobbs said that when it comes to professional growth, "it's very, very good" and is one of the top things to see on a resume for a sheriff, chief or professional administrators.

A mark of someone graduating the National Academy is the presentation of their yellow brick. Not everyone gets to bring one home.

Hobbs said of the 255 invited to the prestigious academy, 248 passed both the physical and academic portions of the training.

Every Wednesday, the invitees would have a group challenge training regimen where all 255 people would participate together, and Hobbs recalls one challenge where they were trained by Marine Corps drill sergeants at Butler Stadium.

"It was fun, but it was hard," he said. "We spent an hour and a half with them. I burned like 1,700 calories that day."

The journey of the yellow brick road is the final challenge — a 6.3-mile obstacle course and endurance run through the woods on the Quantico Marine Corps base, finished by ringing a giant bell.

Everyone is dropped off by a bus on a dirt road where they run down a gravel road made for tanks and turn right onto the obstacle course — the beginning of the yellow brick road.

"The obstacle course was climbing down ropes, jumping over wood things, you know the normal things you would see," he explained. "There was three sets of repelling or pulling up. You had to go down the hill (and) back up this cliff."

Hobbs said he completed the yellow brick road between 80 and 90 minutes, but couldn't remember an exact time because his only mission was to get to the bell.

"All I wanted was to ring the stupid bell," he said. "And I rang the bell. I've never been so happy to hit a freaking bell in my life."

Hobbs said his voyage down the yellow brick road was fun, but he is excited that he can return home to his wife and two young children and implement what he learned in Virginia.

"It was amazing. It was an amazing experience," he said. "You never really get to go back to Quantico. It's not like it's just open for people to walk around in.

"You know when you walk out of those doors that have been your home for 10, 10 and a half weeks, you'll never see them again," he continued. "A lot of people that graduate the National Academy they always say, 'Man, if I could do it again I'd do it tomorrow.'"

Benjamin Johnson can be reached at bjohnson@pnj.com or 850-435-8578

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Escambia Sheriff's Commander Hobbs graduates from FBI National Academy