Salem Police Department Deputy Chief Derek Weeks graduated from the FBI National Academy this week in Quantico. The FBI’s National Academy is known as one of the premier law enforcement training programs in
the world, and Weeks now joins several current and former members of the department who also are graduates.
Major Weeks joined the Salem Police Department in 2001 as a patrol officer. He transferred to Salem’s Detective Division in 2006 and was elected Officer of The Year by his peers in 2007. In 2009, Weeks was promoted to the rank of Sergeant and served in that capacity in the Patrol, Services, and Forensics Divisions. During that period, he also graduated from the 81st Session of the Virginia Forensic Science Academy. In 2015, he was promoted to the rank Lieutenant and on February 1, 2016 he was named the department’s Deputy Chief.
Established in 1935, the National Academy provides advanced investigative, management, and fitness training to senior officers who are proven leaders within their organizations. In addition to undergraduate and graduate-level college courses offered in areas such as law, behavioral and forensic science, understanding terrorism and terrorists, and leadership development, students forge lasting connections that strengthen global law enforcement partnerships.
Weeks graduated from Glenvar High School in 1992 and from Radford University in 1996. He and his family reside in Salem.