Our Sponsors
Available to All Law Enforcement Agencies and Community Partners

Line, staff and administrative officers working in assignments for Community Policing Programs in any of the following types of agencies: Municipal Police Depts.; County Police/Sheriffs; State Police Depts.; Campus Police/Safety/Security; Federal Agencies; Transit/Port Authorities; Housing Police; School Resource Officers; Correctional Officers. As well, the staff and leadership of community organizations are welcome to attend.

While NABLEO membership caters to law enforcement officers of color, all education and training sessions are open to all, regardless of race, creed, or ethnicity (except for those programs specifically designated for members only).

(Our presenters and panelists are drawn from law enforcement, academia, public service, and corporate America. Each brings a wealth of experience and knowledge in their individual fields of endeavor.)

The Speaker

Lonnie Blackwell is a Captain with the Bridgeport Police Department, where he has served for more than 25 years. Over the course of his tenure, he has held leadership roles including Commander of the Bridgeport Police Training Academy and assignments in community services. He has also served as President and Vice President of the Bridgeport Guardians. In addition to operational leadership, he has experience providing collegiate-level instruction in Criminal Justice, recruit and in-service police training, and labor relations.

Captain Blackwell has been a candidate for executive-level positions within the department. In 2022, he was selected as the #2 finalist out of 27 applicants in the national search for Bridgeport Police Chief conducted by the International Association of Chiefs of Police. In 2023, he was the #1 finalist, earning the highest score at the Bridgeport Police Assessment Center for the position of Assistant Chief.

Captain Blackwell has received numerous leadership and community honors, including awards from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women's Clubs, Inc., recognition from U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, appointment as Grand Marshal by Juneteenth of Fairfield County, and multiple Bridgeport-based leadership awards, including the City of Bridgeport Living Legend Award.

He holds degrees from Southern Connecticut State University and the University of New Haven, completed executive training at Boston University, through the Police Executive Research Forum, and at Sacred Heart University, and is pursuing a doctorate at Northcentral University.

The Workshop

Mentorship Workshop :
Thursday, October 22, 2026 09:00A

Importance of mentorship in life and in law enforcement careers, what mentorship looks like from a mentor’s perspective, and what it looks like from a supervisory perspective. Attendees will learn how mentorship improves police work and impacts the personal lives of those affected, as mentorship often extends off duty.