Sheriff’s Deputy Lt. Stephen Ingargiola graduates prestigious FBI National Academy in Virginia; more than 20 St. Bernard deputies are graduates

Lt. Stephen Ingargiola, left, hands a 90-pound bomb squad jacket to a participant in a Sheriff’s Office Citizens Police Academy class in 2012.

Sheriff’s Dep. Lt. Stephen Ingargiola’s graduation photo from the FBI National Training Academy.

St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Dep. Lt. Stephen Ingargiola has compiled an impressive list of professional achievements in recent years.

A Meraux native who has been in law enforcement since 1998, Ingargiola said, “I like to be multi-faceted.’’

And his career so far proves that. He was promoted to lieutenant in 2014 and is now a member of the Sheriff’s Office S.W.A.T. team, its bomb squad, dive team and underwater explosive recovery team.

Ingargiola also recently earned a bachelor’s degree in public administration and is working in a master’s program at UNO.

So he could easily look at his recent graduation from the prestigious FBI National Academy in Virginia as just one more achievement.

But the 11-week FBI session was special to him, he said, representing the attainment of a long-time goal and a key advancement in his law enforcement career.

“The FBI Training Academy was huge for me,’’ Ingargiola said.

“It was a humbling experience, an opportunity to represent the Sheriff’s Office and our community.’’

“I learned a lot there, including from the 239 classmates I had from 15 countries and every state,’’ Ingargiola said.

“The National Academy is a good experience. What you gain you bring back to your department,’’ he said.”I made a sacrifice to be away 11 weeks but in return I brought back knowledge I can use for a life time.”

“I believe it will make me a better cop,’’ Ingargiola said of the FBI session “and I believe the National Academy has given me the opportunity to advance in this department’’ in St. Bernard.

Ingargiola added, “I look forward to being a part of this department, hopefully to the end of my career.’’

Sheriff James Pohlmann, a graduate of the FBI National Academy, said Ingargiola was a good choice to send there from St. Bernard, joining a list of more than 20 officers from the department who have experienced the FBI program.

Ingargiola said that being in such a law enforcement intense environment re-enforces your own feelings that “you are capable of doing the job,’’ a confidence that helps you be a good leader for the people under your command.

Ingargiola, who has worked in the Patrol Division and Special Operations in St. Bernard, said that from being around a diverse group of other police officers at the FBI National Academy you see that everyone faces the same challenges in law enforcement whether you work in a large department or a smaller one.

From international classmates you hear about some things you may not have experienced in this country, Ingargiola said. “In our class we had a guy from Paris who had dealt with the terrorist attacks there.’’ And, he said, there was a woman officer from Nigeria who had experience battling terrorists.