After class, I spoke with Professor Fernandez about the way Officer Collier’s death affected the MIT community. “We shut down the city, so we weren’t on campus for a while,” Professor Fernandez told me. “We were all hunkered down, sheltering in place, letting the police do their job during the manhunt. Once we came back and were processing that, there was a personal loss. A member of our community had been killed in front of the Stata Center, an important center of campus. I don’t think there was a person I communicated with who wasn’t deeply moved. 

“As so often happens where a tragedy occurs, people started bringing flowers to the site,” Professor Fernandez continued. “The administration realized we had to do something more formal than just leaving things on the sidewalk. First, they struck a stone block, probably two feet by three feet, with Collier’s badge number and name and organized that area so people had a place to bring things. Very quickly it was overwhelmed with flowers, thoughts, and origami doves. . . . Then MIT carefully put together a committee for a more permanent memorial.”

The Officer Sean Collier Memorial at MIT 

I asked Professor Fernandez how Officer Collier’s death fits into his SMIP class. “I have a framework I’m trying to get leaders to embrace,” Professor Fernandez said. “One of the reasons why organizational change is so hard is that it’s an emotional journey. I have a framework that points at this emotional component, and with every group I teach, I try to find material that resonates with their experience. In the case of SMIP, I think the Sean Collier example is perfect for the people in the room for two reasons. One, it resonates with their experience. And two, you can’t help but feel the emotional component that I’m talking about.”  

Professor Fernandez also recommended a 10-minute video about the memorial’s design and construction process. To design Sean Collier’s memorial, MIT turned to a member of its faculty. The memorial has five distinct granite walls and arches to resemble a hand with a void in the center. One of the archways points to the location where Officer Collier was killed in his cruiser. MIT then partnered with construction crews, one of which included Officer Collier’s brother, to build the memorial. This story really resonates with SMIP attendees. Many attendees take the opportunity to visit Officer Collier’s memorial in the evening after class or on one of the weekends they spend in Boston during SMIP. 

But that was just the first day of the SMIP program this summer. The program’s attendees heard from other world-class instructors and learned additional strategies for becoming more impactful police leaders. In the 44 years we’ve been hosting SMIP, more than 7,000 police leaders have graduated from the program. This summer’s 421 students did a terrific job of participating in classroom discussions, working through case studies and problem-solving activities, and networking with colleagues.  

New Classes at SMIP 

This year we incorporated two new classes into the program. Attendees heard Professor Mitchell Weiss of Harvard’s Business School speak on different generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools and how they can be useful for police agencies. Professor Weiss led the attendees through an exercise that highlighted generative AI’s strengths and limitations, then showed them how to fine-tune prompts to make different AI tools more impactful.   

Mitchell Weiss 

Another new class we included in the program was a discussion on two PERF books, The First Six Months: A Police Chief’s Guide to Starting Off on the Right Foot and Chapter 2: How Police Chiefs and Sheriffs Are Finding Meaning and Purpose in the Next Stage of Their Careers. Several active chiefs spoke about their experiences becoming chiefs in new agencies, and a few former police executives discussed life after their law enforcement roles.  

 The time spent in the classroom is invaluable, but SMIP graduates always tell me that the relationships they make with their classmates are just as impactful. Each year, we work to make the curriculum as relevant to police leaders as possible and plan evening events to encourage socialization. I also ask attendees to take time to reflect on their careers while they’re in the program.

SMIP’s 2025 graduates, sessions 94, 95, 96, and 97 

Most people do not have the luxury of being away from their agencies for three weeks. This time at SMIP allows attendees to consider who they are as leaders, reassess professional goals, and realize untapped potential. I’ve found that this can be as impactful to someone’s career development as the classroom content and relationship building.

 SMIP attendees and PERF staff enjoy a Boston Red Sox game at Fenway Park

 SMIP attendees participate in a climbing challenge at Outward Bound

SMIP attendees reflect on their time at Outward Bound 

For the third year in a row, we provided scholarships to a few SMIP students. Funding from MacKenzie Scott made these scholarships possible for three deserving attendees:  

• Assistant Chief Jonathan Bryant, Chattanooga (TN) Police Department 

• Captain Curtis Sullivan, Saint Charles County (MO) Police Department 

• Deputy Chief Derek Thomas, Eau Claire (WI) Police Department 

The Charles River and Boston skyline from the Harvard Bridge, where many students walk in the morning

Dan Alioto and Matt Harman 

Thanks to the PERF staff members who work tirelessly to make SMIP happen! In particular, thanks to Matt Harman, whose full-time responsibility is the development and management of the SMIP program, and Dan Alioto, who supports Matt over the summer and spends all of June and July in Boston. We are already receiving a lot of interest in the 2026 SMIP program. We will post more information about next summer’s program, such as dates and tuition, in early September on the SMIP webpage. As usual, we will open registration on Wednesday, October 1, for the four sessions we are planning for the 2026 program. 

The 2026 SMIP program will be a momentous one for us: Next summer, PERF will conduct its 100th SMIP session. This program, more than anything we do at PERF, prepares today’s managers to be tomorrow’s police leaders.   

Best, 

Chuck