Police Academy

What is A Police Academy Certification?

Criminal Justice looks at the legal system itself—how laws are applied and how alleged criminals are brought to justice.  Criminal Justice, as a more hands-on, skilled-based field, is focused on the whole law enforcement system: how laws are enforced and how criminals are rehabilitated.  You don’t really need a degree (although an Associate’s degree would help) to get into entry-level jobs in Criminal Justice, like Police Officer, Corrections Officer, or Forensic Technician.  If you’re hired by a police department because you meet the stringent requirements to be a police officer, they may send you to the Police Academy for training.  In some places, you can simply pay the tuition and go to the Police Academy, hoping to get a position after graduation. The Police Academy program for police officers usually takes from 6-8 months to complete, although it varies widely from place to place. You may be required to get certification through testing before you can begin a job.  Courses that you will take are things like laws in the area, rules of evidence, crisis intervention, interpersonal communications, firearms – classroom and range, criminal procedures, mental health, family violence, and community policing crime prevention.

The videos below discuss “typical” programs, so they should help regardless of which academy you are considering.