Synopsis of Academy Intentions:

Imperial Valley College is still seeking certification by the State of California, Commission of Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST), to provide Peace Officer Training in the complete Modular format.  In order to accomplish this, POST requires that in order to present the complete program, the presenter must be an Academy, under POST guidelines.  The complete program would include the Level III, Level II and Level I Reserve Officer Training courses and either an Intensive or Extended Academy.

We currently present the PC 832 Certificate course listed in the schedule as AJ-141.  This State Certificate course provides entry level training for law enforcement, and is required for specific job categories such as, but not limited to: Park Ranger, Prison Guard, etc. 

We also present the Modular Level III and the Modular Level II Regular Basic Course Training courses listed in the schedule as AJ-142 and AJ-144 respectively.  The Level III Certificate course provides training and preparation for the student to become a Level III Reserve Peace Officer.  Some agencies require certain Non-Sworn job positions to have successfully completed the Level III training course prior to employment.  These jobs include but are not limited to: Community Service Officer, Parking Control Officer, Court Security Guard, etc.

The Level II Certificate course provides training and preparation for the student to become a Level II Reserve Peace Officer.  This is usually the minimum required by most agencies to be hired as a Reserve Peace Officer or Reserve Deputy Sheriff.  These students, when completing the certificate course are able to join other full-time law enforcement officers in the field making arrests, issuing citations, responding to calls for service, writing crime reports and processing evidence.

These courses of instruction at IVC are the exact same courses presented in every law enforcement academy and training center in the state.  I have re-evaluated every course of instruction we offer in the POST program and every one of those courses has been certified by POST to those standards.  These classes train and prepare students to obtain certification to become a Reserve Peace Officer with any Police Department or Sheriff’s Department in the state. 

The final Module Level I Reserve Officer Training course completes the required training necessary for a student to become a Level I Reserve Officer or a Full-Time Peace Officer anywhere in the state.  The completion of all three levels of training is equivalent to the entire Peace Officer training program, in whatever format is completed.  By providing this final level of training, our students are qualified to be hired as full-time Peace Officers or part-time Reserve Peace Officers; if they so choose. 

The hours of training for these programs, as mandated by POST, and the hours IVC provide are:

POST Required                                                  IVC Program

   144 hours                        Level III                    208 hours*

   189 hours                        Level II                     241 hours*

   394 hours                        Level I                         N/A

*No academy or presenter in the state teaches to the minimum.

All three courses provide a minimum of 727 hours required by POST.  The average academy in the state provides well over 840 hours of instruction for all three courses. 

The Modular format we currently present is an excellent preparation for the final Level I course.  But in order to present the Level I course, we must be an Academy, under POST regulations.  The only other option would be to present the Level I course under the auspice of another approved presenter.  This would only be a temporary solution, if possible.  But in order to prove to POST that we are capable of presenting a complete Basic Training Program, we must be able to provide the Level I course; even if that course was under the auspice of another presenter.  College of the Desert currently does this exact same thing.  Their Level I course is actually under the auspice of Ben Clark Training Center in Riverside.  They allow College of the Desert to provide a Level I course as a service to the students in the eastern portion of their county.

Preliminary questions to be answered:

Is there a demonstrated need expressed by a survey of agencies, training needs assessment and a commitment of trainees/students? 

This survey was conducted over the last six months as a result of the Public Safety Advisory Committee.  The agencies within Imperial County are very interested in having an academy located at IVC.  The convenience and lower costs associated with having an academy closer to their cities is considered the highest priority with regards to training of new hires.  Normally, an agency in Imperial Valley either have to hire previously trained officers (Laterals) or hire new employees that must be sent to an academy at a distant location.  This incurs costs over and above the training and possible salary costs for that new hire.  

The student population has grown dramatically since 2008.  The average POST Level III class at that time was about 11 students.  Today we average 35 students per class. The interest is such that we end up turning away students because we are not able to accommodate classes beyond that size.  We routinely have to turn 15 to 25 students that are not able to be admitted above the limit to the classrooms that were available. 

This larger student interest is due to a rise in demand by those students and a need for qualified law enforcement personnel.  The economic situation over the last two years have also driven enrollment up.  A large factor was also my increasing the allowable number of students for these classes.  After having taught in the Regional Training Academy at Miramar College in San Diego, I know how to manage larger class sizes.  The awareness of the program has grown during this period as well.  The POST staff has over the last two years, worked extensively in getting the information to the community about the POST courses we offer. 

Are there existing courses available locally or can it be imported into the area to meet this need?

                The previously existing presenters of these programs are detailed in the following:

                Site Visits:

We have requests from the Chiefs of Police dated 2008, and we have discussed this over the last two Advisory Committee meetings.  I want to obtain new interest letters from the various Chiefs of Police and the Sheriff, to show their continued desire and interest for a POST academy. 

We have been visited by POST this past fall, in reference to the Standards and Evaluation Bureau for our testing security procedures.  We are due for an inspection by the Basic Training Bureau this Fall/Winter.