Academies – stay home or on-site?

**Cidp24** · 04-19-08, 04:14 AM

Our academy is 10 weeks, Sunday afternoon to Thursday afternoon and you stay at the academy in a huge “bay” with military bunks, two high. There is more than one State Certified academy here but the one that I mention is the State LEO academy.

What is your academy like? Stay home or on site?

**keith720** · 04-19-08, 04:39 AM

The State Patrol Academy is kind of like Boot Camp, but the others, as far as I know, are "stay at home." The basic Cert. course is 13 weeks.

**gopherpuckfan** · 04-19-08, 05:26 AM

Where's the option for "My state doesn't require an academy"?

There are 4 agency-specific academies in MN: Minneapolis, St. Paul, State Patrol, and St. Louis County (near Duluth). The Patrol is the only one that's a live-in type.

**Shoestring** · 04-19-08, 08:17 AM

Most of the regular academys you are at home at night.

WI state patrol you stay in barraks

**Motorwaycop** · 04-19-08, 10:29 AM

All initial training used to be done on site as a residential course. It was also done largely on a regional not local basis.
The training I had was largely very structured and disciplined and based on a military style.
However the training is now done in house with the recruits going home at night and the training being based on a social workers course.(All sitting in a circle and discussing feelings,you know the thing)

**Standard Dave** · 04-19-08, 10:38 AM

Just to add to what Motorway said they are not up to scratch they seem to now lack enthusiasm and bottle compared to recruits under the old training.

They study at local colleges along with people doing High school and college equalivant courses. Not a good system in my opinion. The trainers are none police and some appear to be completely clueless criminolgists and law graduates.

**Jks9199** · 04-19-08, 10:51 AM

Most academies I'm aware of in Virginia are non-residential. Recruits go home at the end of the day. The VSP Academy is the major exception, though I've been told there's at least one other.

A non-residential academy can be rigorous and strict. And a residential academy can be lax and touchy-feely. It depends on the staff more than anything else.

**gozling** · 04-19-08, 01:07 PM

MDPD was 10 months long 7am to 4pm with weekends off and you went home at 4pm.

**GhostCop** · 04-19-08, 01:27 PM

There are several agencies in Wyoming that run their own academy. We are going to enter this arena this August because we are testing and plan to hire too many to send to the State Academy (limited slots). The States Academy, which is a pretty good one, is live in with a full facility and two recruits to their own room. Academy length is just over 12 weeks I do believe. I think I prefer the live in academy concept from the standpoint of team building and comradery.

**Xiphos** · 04-19-08, 02:41 PM

Ours is run by our agency. It is a stay at home academy that runs during the weekdays. Since it's isolated from the department and from other colleges we are able to run it the way we need. It's a cross between military basic training and college classes. Lots of PT with a heavy emphasis on academics.

The last academy class we did we put them on 4 ten hour days with Fri-Sun off. This worked well giving them extra time to study and prepare over the weekend. It also gave them more personal time to get what they needed done.

**Jks9199** · 04-19-08, 05:03 PM

Originally Posted by Xiphos

Ours is run by our agency. It is a stay at home academy that runs during the weekdays. Since it's isolated from the department and from other colleges we are able to run it the way we need. It's a cross between military basic training and college classes. Lots of PT with a heavy emphasis on academics.

The last academy class we did we put them on 4 ten hour days with Fri-Sun off. This worked well giving them extra time to study and prepare over the weekend. It also gave them more personal time to get what they needed done.

Did you see any problems with retention over the long weekend or general preparation?

Our academy recently shifted to 4 ten-hour days, and I know there were significant concerns among the staff... I haven't had a chance to follow up and see how it's worked out, other than the obvious issue that the recruits don't take care of the coffee makers on Mondays for in-service classes!

**Pudge** · 04-19-08, 06:46 PM

Ohio State Highway Patrol is paramilitary with cadets staying on site.

The Ohio Peace Officers Training academy also has an on-site academy at main campus, but all of the "branches" scattered throughout the state are "stay home"

**Xiphos** · 04-19-08, 08:36 PM

Originally Posted by Jks9199

Did you see any problems with retention over the long weekend or general preparation?

Our academy recently shifted to 4 ten-hour days, and I know there were significant concerns among the staff... I haven't had a chance to follow up and see how it's worked out, other than the obvious issue that the recruits don't take care of the coffee makers on Mondays for in-service classes!

I only teach several topics at the academy here so I'm not around on a day to day basis. As an instructor I can say I hated coming in and starting an hour earlier. Made for long days. I'm not sure if the academy staff liked it or not. We're about to start another class so I guess if they are on 10's the staff likes it.

**TXCharlie** · 04-19-08, 10:23 PM

Mine was stay-at-home: Eastfield Community College, which i attended M-F, 6pm-10pm, for basically a year. It's the same academy that the Dallas Reserves use - Here's a link to them
http://www.efc.dcccd.edu/CJTC/index.html

We also had some weekend stuff and things that went way past normal hours, like a driving course, Mechanics of Arrest / Self Defense, night-time building searches, crime scene managemt (which we had to do on a 30 degree night afrer a storm) etc.

**jcsdscott** · 04-19-08, 10:38 PM

There are three in Illinois that I know of:

ISP - which is live-in
PTI - based in Champaign with U of I, is also live-in
Southwestern Police Academy - based at SWIC, is non-residential; area guys go home, the rest of us stay in a hotel.

**nsb22** · 04-19-08, 11:12 PM

Most go to the state academy, an agency near by does an inhouse academy.

**ryan36002** · 04-19-08, 11:45 PM

Now we have only one academy for all agencies in the state. You don't have to stay there over night but most people do, even several of the staff. Most everyone goes home for the wekends. It is more like college than boot camp for the most part. To be an LEO in Oregon you have to complete the academy and maintain certification through them. You have to be hired by an agency and sent to the academy, no sending yourself through. Most of the bigger agencies have there own secondary or advanced academies.

Patrol-16 weeks, (plus 8 for Troopers)
Corrections-5 weeks
Dispatch, Parole, Security-2 weeks
Career Officer Develop.-2 weeks for laterals from out of state.

http://www.oregon.gov/DPSST/index.shtml

**mack** · 04-20-08, 09:39 AM

Ours was a stay at home academy, it was about 18 weeks, Ocotber to February. Even in Florida having to get into the outdoor pool at 6am in December and January was not enjoyable! Then having PT afterwards was not real fun either.

**Big Al** · 04-20-08, 10:19 AM

Ours is 22 weeks and very paramilitary structured. You stay on site.

Ahh, the days of being rousted out of bed at 0550 and out the door lined up in formation for PT...