Hutchinson ? Three Kansas law enforcement officers who went to the nation’s capital recently got to work – not that their trip was much of a vacation.

Reno County Sheriff Randy Henderson said he lost an inch off his waist, while McPherson Police Chief Dennis Shaw earned a place on a plaque for completing a 300-mile swim challenge.

Together with Lance Royer, a captain in the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Department, the men recently graduated from an 11-week program at the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Va., just outside of Washington, D.C.

“No TV or Internet in the room,” Shaw said. “You might as well get down and exercise.”

But physical activity was only part of the course load. There were also college-level classes on topics ranging from ethics to forensic science to stress management. Term papers were required and instructors asked students to explain how to apply what they had learned.

“It was probably the best law enforcement experience that I’ve ever had,” Shaw said.

The men were part of the 227th session of the National Academy, which turned out 226 graduates from across the country. Twenty-seven foreign nations were also represented.

Neither Shaw nor Henderson said they planned to make sweeping changes to their departments. But Henderson said the experience made him more appreciative of his staff and encouraged him to improve lines of communication with middle management.