Academy Question: Good or Bad?

[Dnarro68]

What are the down-sides to an independent academy where you have to put yourself through? Are you getting the best training? Example: Ohio, Florida, etc. for city police and deputies... Seems like a lot (not all) these academies are based on classroom time and bypass the physical fitness end and discipline.

[Blackdog F4i]

I really have no idea because we only have 3.5 Academies in Indiana. Northwest ILEA, Southeast ILEA, ILEA (Indiana Law Enforcement Academy), and State Police Academy.(.5 because they use all the same facilities as ILEA).

To be a law enforcement officer you have to attend one of them. You can pay your own way though various Universities, however you are not sworn and do not have arrest powers until you are hired by a department.

Many candidates do this because it puts them one-up on the hiring process. The department in question does not have to send you to the academy and pay you during the process.

[MDS]

What are the down-sides to an independent academy where you have to put yourself through? Are you getting the best training? Example: Ohio, Florida, etc. for city police and deputies... Seems like a lot (not all) these academies are based on classroom time and bypass the physical fitness end and discipline.

I'm finishing up an independant Department run academy right now and I can assure you mine gets a ton of both pt and discipline. I've not been through any other type, so my opinion is only coming from one side, but I think (and have heard) that the training where I'm at is top notch. You've certainly got to prove you want to be there. The classroom time exists as it must in any academy, and it's nice to be paid .

[PABear31]

In Pennsylvania all police academies, except the State Police Academy, are approved and certified by the Municipal Police Officers Education and Training Commission. It doesn't matter whether the Academy is operated by a government entity or a University. All of the Academies have to teach the same basic curricuulm and trainees must all meet the same minumum standards. Some cities require that officer candidates attend their own academies wich may exceed the state mandated minimums. Sheriffs offices have their own but simular system administered by the State Sheriffs' Association.

[bpdmarine]

From what I have seen and read Independant academies are only really good if you are going to go to a small department, that may or may not have an academy of its own. In Baltimore where I went through, it doesn't matter if you did go through an independant academy, you still went through theirs. So you could just end up wasting time and money. I say let someone else pay you to go to the academy.

[1oldsarge]

If the certification is the same and will get you hired over someone who does not have the training, I sure can't see a downside....