Durham, N.C. — A 12-year veteran of the Durham Police Department has become the first city employee selected to receive a local government scholarship to attend the University of North Carolina’s Master of Public Administration program.

Sgt. Duane Hampton has received the $10,000 scholarship awarded through the UNC Local Government Fellows program after being nominated by City Manager Patrick Baker. The two-year program allows participants to work part-time while attending classes Tuesday through Thursday.

“We strive, through the City’s Management Academy, to push our employees and encourage their development as leaders,” Baker said in a news release. “The MPA program at UNC takes our efforts even farther and helps prepare our talented employees for leadership positions in the future. Sgt. Hampton is modeling the highest standards in professional development for other aspiring leaders in our organization.”

Hampton is a graduate of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and joined the Durham Police after completing the basic police academy in 1995.

He has trained and also served as an instructor in the uniformed patrol, training and investigations divisions. He has also completed the City of Durham’s Management Academy.

Hampton is also an instructor in the Durham Technical Community College Criminal Justice Program and represented the police department at the 2005 N.C. Police Executives Conference.