• 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
      • “Take care of your veterans”: Massachusetts police save suicidal...
        The problems with loyalty
        My experience being a Black woman in policing
        Tucson tries new tact to fight crime
        2022 Top Cops
    • Labor
      • Philadelphia may rehire officers and civilian employees to fill...
        Chicago police recruit Marines to help address officer shortage
        Illinois State Police announce lateral training program with added...
        The “great resignation” brings staffing troubles to Missouri law...
        NYPD overtime expected to surpass budget by over $142 million to...
    • Tech
      • NYPD deploys K-9s with innovative electronic harness to prevent...
        Understanding end-to-end encryption apps
        Local law enforcement agencies learn to recover stolen cryptocurrency
        New York mayor proposes gun detection scanners after rise in subway...
        Hacker group steals data from multiple law enforcement data systems...
    • Training
      • An equation for performing lawful Terry stops
        A Connecticut police chief says his department needs more drug...
        “The hidden danger is the water”
        Weapon retention
        Developing trauma-informed training and drills for K–12 schools
    • Policy
      • Philadelphia spends almost a billion dollars on policing in new...
        Supreme Court decision protects police officers against civil...
        Chicago police limit foot pursuits under new policy intended to...
        Putting the brakes on wandering cops
        Detroit police team up with federal law enforcement agencies to fight...
    • Health/Wellness
      • True detectives: Psychological realities of investigative work
        Effective use of chaplain services
        Things I learned as a retiree
        Normalization of deviance
        The nobility of policing
    • Community
      • Miami Heat and nonprofit build bridges between law enforcement and...
        Right place, right time: Off-duty Florida police officer braves house...
        Community steps up to support Rhode Island police officer brothers...
        Safety exchange zones
        Crime problems are community problems
    • Offbeat
      • Iowa police and fire agencies, community team up to rescue bulldog...
        Buzz fuzz: NYPD “bee unit” officers remove swarms from various...
        Only in Florida: Police snipers provide backup during...
        Longtime Maryland con man arrested for impersonating U.S. marshal
        Seattle cancels and refunds seven months of parking tickets due to...
    • We Remember
      • Memorializing our fallen sisters
        Paying Tribute to Fallen Heroes
        National Law Enforcement Memorial expands to accommodate more names
        National Police Week
        “It’s not enough to never forget anymore”
  • On the Job
    • “Take care of your veterans”: Massachusetts police save suicidal...
      The problems with loyalty
      My experience being a Black woman in policing
      Tucson tries new tact to fight crime
      2022 Top Cops
  • Labor
    • Philadelphia may rehire officers and civilian employees to fill...
      Chicago police recruit Marines to help address officer shortage
      Illinois State Police announce lateral training program with added...
      The “great resignation” brings staffing troubles to Missouri law...
      NYPD overtime expected to surpass budget by over $142 million to...
  • Tech
    • NYPD deploys K-9s with innovative electronic harness to prevent...
      Understanding end-to-end encryption apps
      Local law enforcement agencies learn to recover stolen cryptocurrency
      New York mayor proposes gun detection scanners after rise in subway...
      Hacker group steals data from multiple law enforcement data systems...
  • Training
    • An equation for performing lawful Terry stops
      A Connecticut police chief says his department needs more drug...
      “The hidden danger is the water”
      Weapon retention
      Developing trauma-informed training and drills for K–12 schools
  • Policy
    • Philadelphia spends almost a billion dollars on policing in new...
      Supreme Court decision protects police officers against civil...
      Chicago police limit foot pursuits under new policy intended to...
      Putting the brakes on wandering cops
      Detroit police team up with federal law enforcement agencies to fight...
  • Health/Wellness
    • True detectives: Psychological realities of investigative work
      Effective use of chaplain services
      Things I learned as a retiree
      Normalization of deviance
      The nobility of policing
  • Community
    • Miami Heat and nonprofit build bridges between law enforcement and...
      Right place, right time: Off-duty Florida police officer braves house...
      Community steps up to support Rhode Island police officer brothers...
      Safety exchange zones
      Crime problems are community problems
  • Offbeat
    • Iowa police and fire agencies, community team up to rescue bulldog...
      Buzz fuzz: NYPD “bee unit” officers remove swarms from various...
      Only in Florida: Police snipers provide backup during...
      Longtime Maryland con man arrested for impersonating U.S. marshal
      Seattle cancels and refunds seven months of parking tickets due to...
  • We Remember
    • Memorializing our fallen sisters
      Paying Tribute to Fallen Heroes
      National Law Enforcement Memorial expands to accommodate more names
      National Police Week
      “It’s not enough to never forget anymore”
  • 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

Labor

Illinois State Police announce lateral training program with added incentives to attract candidates

APB Team Published May 23, 2022 @ 10:00 am PDT

iStock.com/CGinspiration

The Illinois State Police (ISP) recently announced a new lateral training program to attract experienced candidates and ward off staffing shortages.

The lateral training entry program is part of the department’s reimagined fast track program. According to ISP Sergeant Calvin Dye Jr., the program aims to incentivize applicants by streamlining the training process and allowing candidates to choose which district they want to work for.

Under the new model, training time will be reduced from 26 weeks to 14 weeks, with only five of those weeks in person at the academy, thus allowing candidates to spend more time with their families. It also allows new troopers to select the district they would like to work for.

Dye, who works as ISP’s southern region recruitment coordinator, said that the previous 26-week boot camp academy in Springfield often deterred potential candidates with a family.

“Some of the deterrents we faced, historically, were the academy was 26 weeks in Springfield. So if you already had a family, for decades, that discouraged a lot of people,” Dye explained. “They don’t want to be gone for six months and two weeks. They’d say they had a 1 1/2-year-old and that they don’t get to see them. With the lateral program, we’ve eliminated these deterrents.”

Dye said that in the new training system, instead of spending the majority of time at the academy, recruits will train for nine weeks at the district headquarters they eventually work at.

“You may have to go back to the academy for driving and shooting, but, for the most part, it’s only five weeks in person,” he said.

Dye said that previously interested candidates did not want to be torn away from their families.

“[They] would say they don’t want to have to move away from home to Chicago or Kanakakee where they were four or five hours from home,” Dye told the Belleville News-Democrat. “Now, if you’re from the metro-east and want to stay in Collinsville, you’ve got it. You get to go to your desired district in the state. That’s where a lot of the discouragement ends. “They didn’t want to do the full 26 weeks away from family and not risk the chance of not coming back home after they graduated,” Dye continued.

According to the ISP website, lateral entry training or fast track applicants must already be a certified police officer and have graduated from an accredited law enforcement academy. They must also have at least two years of full-time experience.

Additionally, applicants are required to provide proof of successfully completing the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration/International Association of Chiefs of Police-approved DWI/DUI Detection and Standardized Field Sobriety Testing training program.

According to Dye, attracting lateral transfers will help the ISP meet its goal of recruiting 300 new officers — a goal backed by the largest budget in the state’s history.

“The Illinois State Police, state-wide, got the biggest budget in our history approved through the governor’s office to run several academy classes. We’re trying to get at least 300 troopers hired and sent through the academy through the next several months. It’s our biggest recruiting push ever,” Dye said.

Dye said the academy classes and recruitment efforts should offset upcoming retirement.

“We’re a big agency with a lot of different facets. We have a lot of different departments within the agency. And, the agency as a whole, it takes a lot of people to staff it. With the upcoming retirements we have in the next few months, that’s the main reason we have this big emphasis and push for recruitment.”

President of Illinois Troopers Lodge #41 Joe Moon supported the ISP’s new training model.

“The ability to go back to their home district is big, especially if you’re dealing with an established officer,” Moon said.

Moon then referenced the attrition rates in police departments across the country and said the program, if effective, could protect the ISP from staffing shortages.

“I think the concept of it is good. Hopefully, it’ll be a good program that works. The facts are, just like every other police agency across the nation, we’re losing officers to attrition before we can hire them. We’re looking for anything we can do to bring officers into our agency.”

Union and ISP officials agreed that lateral recruiting would improve officer quality by adding experience to the ranks. Dye further confirmed that “lengthy background checks” are in place to assess the integrity and character of applicants.

Categories: Labor Tags: budget, recruiting, police academy, Illinois State Police, staffing shortage, hiring, lateral training program, lateral transfer, Calvin Dye Jr., fast track

Primary Sidebar

Recent Articles

  • Philadelphia spends almost a billion dollars on policing in new budget aimed at addressing gun violence
  • Miami Heat and nonprofit build bridges between law enforcement and community
  • Right place, right time: Off-duty Florida police officer braves house fire to rescue trapped children
  • “Take care of your veterans”: Massachusetts police save suicidal veteran
  • Iowa police and fire agencies, community team up to rescue bulldog stuck in sinkhole
  • Community steps up to support Rhode Island police officer brothers who lost everything in a house fire
  • Supreme Court decision protects police officers against civil lawsuits over Miranda rights violations
  • NYPD deploys K-9s with innovative electronic harness to prevent terrorist attacks
  • The problems with loyalty
  • Chicago police limit foot pursuits under new policy intended to enhance officer safety and public trust

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

  • 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 © 2022 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.