Capt. Dave Domin, the assistant division commander of the Special Operations Division in Loudoun County, recently graduated from the 228th session of the FBI National Academy Program at Quantico. Domin has been with the police department since 1986 and is the 15th member of the Sheriff’s Office senior staff to have graduated from the FBI Academy since 1970.
What community are you a member of, what brought you to it and how long have you been here?
Member of the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, after graduation from Penn State in 1985 with a degree in administration of justice I moved here and started with the Sheriff's Office in early 1986, have now been with the office 21 years.
Where did you get your education and in what areas?
Bachelor of science in administration of justice from Penn State University 1985.
What do you consider to be your biggest achievements?
Graduation from the FBI National Academy.
Activities/interests/hobbies?
My hobbies are sailing on Chesapeake Bay aboard my 32-foot sailboat, I organize two golf tournaments each year for members of the local law-enforcement community and started the LCSO ice hockey team. I have played hockey since elementary school but recently had to hang up the skates due to injuries, but I hope to play again after retirement from the Sheriff's Office. Also, I enjoy gourmet cooking and smoking meat.
Favorite local restaurant or place in the community?
Favorite restaurant is Del Rio in Leesburg.
What would you change about your community if you could?
One thing I would change if I could would be to create a large, centrally located park in Loudoun County. Not just any park, but one with a lake, boating, picnic grounds, etc.
Who is a historical figure you would like to meet?
I would most like to meet author James Michener.
What community "hidden treasure" should more people know about?
Oak Hill, the former home of James Madison, in the late 1980s for two years I lived in a converted slave quarters on the property.
When you were younger, what did you want to be when you grew up?"
When I was younger I wanted to grow up to be a quarterback for the Baltimore Colts, Johnny Unitas was my boyhood idol.
What are some of your personal goals?
My personal goals are to succeed at work and to be able to live a long healthy life and some day spend vast amounts of time sailing up and down the East Coast and to the Caribbean.
Favorite movie or book?
Animal House.
Describe how you would most enjoy spending a single day?
I would most enjoy spending a warm, sunny, breezy summer day sailing on Chesapeake Bay and then eating crabs that evening at a waterfront restaurant.
Do you have a favorite quotation?
"Work to live, don't live to work."
What made you decide to participate in the FBI National Academy Program?
Several other members of the LCSO have graduated from this program. They all had nothing but good things to say about it and I had also heard from other graduates whom I know about what a great experience it was.
What did the program entail?
The FBI National Academy is a 10-week program for senior-level law-enforcement officers who are chosen via a nomination process. Students in the program come from all over the country and also from other countries. The program began in 1935 and I was a member of the 228th session. The program is similar to attending college with a good dose of fitness training tossed in. Class topics include labor law and legal issue, leadership, ethics, and decision making, domestic terrorism, and a whole host of other law-enforcement related topics. A key aspect of the program was relationship building with members of other agencies and the exchange of ideas and the discussion of workplace issues. There were 263 graduates in my class. We lived in very small, dorm-like rooms with a roommate. My roommate was a lieutenant from a police department just outside of Detroit. Physical fitness was a significant portion of the program and the culmination of this aspect of the academy was running the Yellow Brick Road, which was a seven-mile run, the first three miles of which was on the Marine Obstacle Course.
What was the most important/interesting thing you learned?
The most important things I learned were from my leadership, ethics, and decision making class. I hope to be able to incorporate some of the concepts I learned into making me a better leader.
How will the training help you better serve as an officer in Loudoun?
The training I received will help me be a better leader in my current capacity as assistant division commander in the Special Operations Division of the Sheriff's Office. The training I received in regards to labor law and legal issues will be of great benefit to myself and the agency.