• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Subscribe to the Magazine
American Police Beat

American Police Beat Magazine

Law Enforcement Publication

  • Home
  • Editor’s Picks
    • The power of teamwork
      Stay awake and alert on the job
      The worst rank in law enforcement
      Firearms maintenance
      Why fries need salt
  • Topics
    • On the Job
      • LAPD officers arrest man in Hollywood for criminal threats, prevent...
        Georgia officer pushes stranded woman’s car to gas station
        Washington police K-9 retires after nearly a decade of service
        “An emotional encounter”: Connecticut police officer talks a man...
        California police officer uses K-9’s leash to rescue drowning man
    • Labor
      • South Dakota Police Department offers $5,000 hiring bonuses to boost...
        Sioux Falls Police Department offers $5K hiring bonuses to boost...
        San Francisco mulls over increasing police recruitment bonuses to...
        Nevada may soon allow noncitizens to become police officers to...
        Florida pays out $5M in hiring bonuses for more than one thousand...
    • Tech
      • Scott City police dispatchers use new technology to livestream...
        NYPD iconic police cruisers get high-tech makeover
        NYPD warns of police attacks after Apple AirTag device was found on...
        Airbnb expands law enforcement portal to fight child trafficking
        West Virginia law enforcement agencies use drones to get a...
    • Training
      • Pennsylvania police utilize VR for de-escalation training
        Running your patrol rifle like a champion
        Present ability, opportunity and apparent intent
        Defensive tactics
        Mechanics, consistency and aggression
    • Policy
      • Iowa House proposes legislation to criminalize ransomware
        Atlanta’s “Cop City” training center project approved despite...
        Arkansas sheriff’s offices refuse to enforce federal ATF gun policy
        President Biden signs bill expanding national missing persons database
        California Highway Patrol spotlights new traffic laws for 2023
    • Health/Wellness
      • Retired Wisconsin police officer offers mental health services for...
        Coping with internal investigation or legal action
        The value of data: Wellness through the eyes of officers
        What officers love, hope and worry about
        Don’t be “that guy” — get moving
    • Community
      • Washington’s King County sets record for fentanyl overdose deaths...
        Brotherly love: Police officer donates kidney to deputy sibling
        North Charleston police officer drafted by professional football team
        “I’m very, very blessed”: Cleveland police officer back on...
        Newark good Samaritan honored for assisting wounded officers
    • Offbeat
      • Pig crosses path with law enforcement in Virginia
        Texas police find cute dog behind the wheel in reckless driving...
        Drunk-driving suspect performs backflip for Ohio police during...
        “Like a scene from ‘Home Alone’”: Georgia man slips on ice...
        “Some real sitcom stuff there”: Florida burglars call 9-1-1 for...
    • We Remember
      • “I had a calling”: Colorado cadet inspired by fallen hero Eric...
        Chicago police remember fallen and injured officers this holiday...
        Deputy killed by roommate after he “jokingly” pulled trigger of...
        Maryland’s oldest cold case solved
        At least 13 officers shot in five days as wave of violence sweeps...
  • On the Job
    • LAPD officers arrest man in Hollywood for criminal threats, prevent...
      Georgia officer pushes stranded woman’s car to gas station
      Washington police K-9 retires after nearly a decade of service
      “An emotional encounter”: Connecticut police officer talks a man...
      California police officer uses K-9’s leash to rescue drowning man
  • Labor
    • South Dakota Police Department offers $5,000 hiring bonuses to boost...
      Sioux Falls Police Department offers $5K hiring bonuses to boost...
      San Francisco mulls over increasing police recruitment bonuses to...
      Nevada may soon allow noncitizens to become police officers to...
      Florida pays out $5M in hiring bonuses for more than one thousand...
  • Tech
    • Scott City police dispatchers use new technology to livestream...
      NYPD iconic police cruisers get high-tech makeover
      NYPD warns of police attacks after Apple AirTag device was found on...
      Airbnb expands law enforcement portal to fight child trafficking
      West Virginia law enforcement agencies use drones to get a...
  • Training
    • Pennsylvania police utilize VR for de-escalation training
      Running your patrol rifle like a champion
      Present ability, opportunity and apparent intent
      Defensive tactics
      Mechanics, consistency and aggression
  • Policy
    • Iowa House proposes legislation to criminalize ransomware
      Atlanta’s “Cop City” training center project approved despite...
      Arkansas sheriff’s offices refuse to enforce federal ATF gun policy
      President Biden signs bill expanding national missing persons database
      California Highway Patrol spotlights new traffic laws for 2023
  • Health/Wellness
    • Retired Wisconsin police officer offers mental health services for...
      Coping with internal investigation or legal action
      The value of data: Wellness through the eyes of officers
      What officers love, hope and worry about
      Don’t be “that guy” — get moving
  • Community
    • Washington’s King County sets record for fentanyl overdose deaths...
      Brotherly love: Police officer donates kidney to deputy sibling
      North Charleston police officer drafted by professional football team
      “I’m very, very blessed”: Cleveland police officer back on...
      Newark good Samaritan honored for assisting wounded officers
  • Offbeat
    • Pig crosses path with law enforcement in Virginia
      Texas police find cute dog behind the wheel in reckless driving...
      Drunk-driving suspect performs backflip for Ohio police during...
      “Like a scene from ‘Home Alone’”: Georgia man slips on ice...
      “Some real sitcom stuff there”: Florida burglars call 9-1-1 for...
  • We Remember
    • “I had a calling”: Colorado cadet inspired by fallen hero Eric...
      Chicago police remember fallen and injured officers this holiday...
      Deputy killed by roommate after he “jokingly” pulled trigger of...
      Maryland’s oldest cold case solved
      At least 13 officers shot in five days as wave of violence sweeps...
  • Between the Lines
    • Persecution of the LEO is Classic Schadenfreude
      The Rule of Law is Worthless Without Order
      School policing: a paradox of the defund movement
      Defending the honor of the LE profession – finally!
      The dichotomy of the defund movement: reality setting in
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Advertise
  • Contact
Search

Training

South Carolina technical colleges looking to offer law enforcement training

APB Team Published February 16, 2021 @ 1:00 pm PST

iStock.com/csfotoimages

Technical colleges in South Carolina are planning to offer law enforcement classes for police recruits to augment police officer education and to support local police agencies in need of manpower.

A report in The Post and Courier explains that the plan would enable new officers to earn credits toward a college degree subsidized by state, with scholarship money covering the tuition costs. The proposal coming from technical colleges could help ease the financial burden that police departments shoulder training and recruiting new officers.

Currently, there is only one central training academy in South Carolina – the S.C. Criminal Justice Academy in Columbia. The usual officer training process consists of a regional police department hiring and training a new recruit, and then waiting to send that recruit to the academy to be fully trained and certified.

Officials at the academy see decentralized training at technical colleges as a potential threat to their funding, as well as problematic for ensuring consistent and equal training across the board for new officers.

However, the academy has agreed to assist technical colleges stepping into the training and recruitment space, and plans to cooperate with the schools to offer early classroom lessons while maintaining the current 8-week training protocol in Columbia.

The plan to optimize training and recruitment to get new officers out into their communities

At present, every recruit in South Carolina receives the same training. According to a 2019 report in the Associated Press, the state is limited to 1,000 new recruits a year due to temporal and spatial constraints, as well as a lack of manpower. Every three weeks, a new batch of 75 recruits begins their 400-hour training program.

To boost recruitment numbers, Trident Technical College proposed holding basic training at its 16 technical schools to get more prospective officers through the system, but the idea was met coldly by lawmakers. Democratic state Sen. Gerald Malloy said, “I think it needs to be under a single umbrella.”

However, over a year later, the proposal seems to be gaining steam, in part due to a need for more officers. In addition to the academy’s training bottleneck at the academy that restricts the output of new officers, the recent debate regarding police accountability and reforms has had a significant, negative impact on the profession. According to academy Director Jackie Swindler, around a third of the 1,000 officers who graduated from the academy last year have already left the force.

 The plan currently awaits approval by the Law Enforcement Training Council and state legislator, but many are hopeful.

North Charleston Assistant Police Chief Greg Gomes said, “If we want to be a true profession, we need to act like one. Part of that is getting the right education and training for officers, and the technical schools will be able to deliver that.”

To qualify for training, prospective officers have to be hired and sponsored by a law enforcement agency. The technical colleges’ plan would allow all U.S. citizens with a high school diploma/GED and a clean criminal record to receive 14 weeks of instruction. Afterwards, students would need to find a job and then go on to the academy.

It’s an attractive proposal for all parties involved, as students can receive an associate degree at little to no cost, at the same time as saving police departments the money for training recruits and keep them on the payroll while waiting for a slot to open at the academy. Instead, the state covers the training costs.

The road forward

According to The Post and Courier, South Carolina is one of a handful of states that sticks to its single training-site model, while Georgia, North Carolina and Florida each have multiple training sites. On a national level, two-year colleges provide nearly half of all law enforcement training academies, according to a 2016 Bureau of Justice study, indicating that South Carolina’s model is perhaps outdated.

The S.C. Criminal Justice Academy has been reluctant to offer multiple training sites because of budget concerns, and has delt with its wait times by introducing training at local departments using video lessons. Despite these efforts, with the pandemic further squeezing class-sizes at the academy, the overall education quality and efficiency of officer training has been reduced.

Gomes hopes that by allowing technical schools to shoulder some of the burden, eventually the academy will transition away from its centralized approach and allow regional centers to take over, thereby keeping recruits closer to the communities they will eventually serve.

He said, “This is the crack in the door we have been looking for, and once the technical schools can prove they can do a phenomenal job of preparing people for this job, we would look for it to expand.”

Academy Director Swindler is still on the fence about changing the current model, concerned about alternative, “back door,” regional programs that may aim to replace the academy. Referring to technical schools’ plan to offer training, he cautioned, “It’s not going to take the place of anything we do. [The training council] will not allow them to take on the role of replacing the criminal justice academy.”

 

Categories: Training, Community

Primary Sidebar

Recent Articles

  • Scott City police dispatchers use new technology to livestream emergency calls in real time
  • LAPD officers arrest man in Hollywood for criminal threats, prevent possible mass shooting
  • Iowa House proposes legislation to criminalize ransomware
  • Atlanta’s “Cop City” training center project approved despite activist opposition
  • Pig crosses path with law enforcement in Virginia
  • NYPD iconic police cruisers get high-tech makeover
  • Georgia officer pushes stranded woman’s car to gas station
  • Washington’s King County sets record for fentanyl overdose deaths in 2022; morgue running out of space for bodies
  • NYPD warns of police attacks after Apple AirTag device was found on marked patrol vehicle
  • South Dakota Police Department offers $5,000 hiring bonuses to boost recruiting and diversity

Footer

Our Mission
To serve as a trusted voice of the nation’s law enforcement community, providing informative, entertaining and inspiring content on interesting and engaging topics affecting peace officers today.

Contact us: info@apbweb.com | (800) 234-0056.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram

Categories

  • Editor’s Picks
  • On the Job
  • Labor
  • Tech
  • Training
  • Policy
  • Health/Wellness
  • Community
  • Offbeat
  • We Remember
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Events

Editor’s Picks

The power of teamwork

The power of teamwork

July 23, 2021

Stay awake and alert on the job

Stay awake and alert on the job

July 20, 2021

The worst rank in law enforcement

The worst rank in law enforcement

July 19, 2021

Firearms maintenance

Firearms maintenance

July 04, 2021

Privacy Policy | Copyright © 2023 APB Media, LLC | Website design, development and maintenance by 911MEDIA

Open

Subscribe

Close

Receive the latest news and updates from American Police Beat directly to your inbox!

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.