Basic Law Enforcement Academy

The Law Enforcement certificate program is designed to prepare those interested in a career in the law enforcement field, either public or private. Prior to enrollment, students will complete a background packet,complete a medical exam, obtained a clearance from the Department of Justice (DOJ) and be free of any felony conviction. Students may enter the program as an independent recruit or sponsored by law enforcement agency.  Students who complete the program and obtain employment by a law enforcement agency are then allowed to enter the Field Training Program.

The program meets all requirements established by California Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST). Students will be tested mentally,physically and emotionally.  The course of instruction includes academic, driving instruction, defensive tactics,firearms training and physical fitness training.

Academy Class Semester           #Started         #Graduated   #Hired            * Employed%

Class 100            $2011                26                        19                       4                         21%

Class 101            F2011                22                        16                       2                         13%

Class 102            S2012                24                        17                       3                         18%

Class 103            F2012                28                        19                       1                          05%

Class 104            S2013                34                        24                       11                        46%

Class 105            F2013                35                        25                       14                        56%

Class 106            52014                 39                        28                       19                       68%

Class 107            F2014                 33                        24                        23                       95%

Class 108            S2015                 24                        19                       16                        84%

Class 109            F2015                20                        16                        12                        75%

Class 110            $2016                 24                        21                        20                       95%

Class 111            F2016                 31                        29                        25                       86%

Class 112            S2017                35                         27                        26                       96%

Class 113            F2017                 27                        24                        22                       92%

Provide students with the skills needed to enter and complete a field training program with a law enforcement agency and become certified by POST (Peace Officers Standards and Training).

Objectives: 

•     meet the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) academic requirements for basic law enforcement

•     meet the minimum physical fitness requirements.

•     meet POST discipline/drill and skills requirements for basic law enforcement

The Law Enforcement Training program currently offers 3 3 law enforcement- related courses that include the Basic Law Enforcement Academy and Advanced Officer Training. The Law Enforcement Academy is a full-time program that trains preservice recruits. Advanced officer training courses ranging from one day to a series of week-long courses are offered each semester to train both local officers and officers from across California. This training helps the officers to maintain the required continuing professional education mandated by the state. The program also contracts with law enforcement agencies to cosponsor training locally. The Allan Hancock College Basic Law Enforcement Academy is a full-time program that trains pre-service recruits who are either independent recruits putting themselves through the academy or sponsored recruits pre-employed by a law enforcement agency.

The academy is a 21-week (796 hours)intensive course that is a college course with strict para-military discipline.Recruits attending the academy are academically and physically challenged and face complex problem solving in a highly stressful, disciplined, and structured environment. Recruits receive rigorous and challenging training in all phases of law enforcement.

The academy is a Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) certified course that covers all 43 POST required topics called "learning domains." These domains include approximately two-thirds classroom instruction such as law, dispute resolution, and traffic collision investigation, as well as one-third skills training such as fire armslive fire at a shooting range, high-speed driving on a race track and arrest and control skills in the mat room. The 43 learning domains are taught by POST certified instructors using mandated POST curriculum that includes POST written exams, lesson plans, expanded course outlines, text books, skills test protocols, etc.

Recruits who complete the course are certified by the state to begin the "Field Training Officer" program as a probationary peace officer within any police or sheriff’s department in California. The placement rate of academy graduates for the past five years has exceeded 90 percent. They are serving in departments from San Diego to Redding. The average annual number of recruits graduating the program is approximately 60 per year. AHC is the regional academy for Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.

POST has designated Allan Hancock College Law Enforcement Training as a POST Regional Skills Training Center IRSTC).  The AHC RSTC is equipped with Law Enforcement Driving Simulators (LEDS), Force Options Simulator [FOS), skid training car and platform, training mannequins,computers, LCD projectors and other related training equipment.