Non-college LEO Acadamies

nicky4968

nicky4968

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I tried to post this before, apparently just as the "interregum" began last night. Of course, if it's doubled, I hope the moderators delete one of the posts.
My nephew is in his mid twenties. Some time ago, he got a good job, joined the National Guard, got married, and he and his wife had a baby. Besides job and family and Guard duty, he was attending college to get a degree so that he could attend a law enforcement academy (his chosen field of work).
Uncle Sugar sent him for quite a bit of time to the Land of Endless Beaches.
He did get his old job (heavy industrial/manufacturing) back, but now he has more babies than when he started, and no college degree. Time, literally has run out on him.
Are there any law enforcement academies in the CONUS that do not require a college degree? If so, ping me and I will pass the information on.
BTW: When my father was attending the University of Denver in 1940/41, some of you may recall that all heck broke loose. He got drafted. There were no college/marriage exemptions then.
DU gave one year college credit to everyone who served, volunteer or draftee, for every year they were in the Service. Maybe we should check with our local colleges and universities to see what they have to say about the matter.
Thanks for your time.
 
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The Arkansas Law Enforcement Training Acadamy (ALETA) does not require a college education. It does require that you be sponsored by a department to attend, though.

Also, I don't think time as run out on him. I was 35 before I started my career in law enforcement.
 
The Centeral Shenandoah Criminal Justice Training Academy located in Weyers Cave, VA. does not require a college degree and offers a pre-employment program which allows a student to obtain state certification. Costs for the 16 week training is about $5000.
Be careful that because some states will not accept other states certifications. Hope this helps... BG
 
The Academy where I teach EOT (Equivalency of Training) in St. Pete (St Petersburg College-SEPSI) doesn't require a degree to attend, but many of the agencies who hire from the Academy do require one.

In this day of the scary economy, most of our local agencies do not sponsor the recruit, rather they wait to see if the person completes the Academy and passes the State test before seriously discussing employment.

Bob
 
I don't believe it's common for pre-service academies to require college degrees. They usually only require the minimums, such as HS diploma/GED, age 21 and over, clean background, good health, etc. The difficulty will be with different agency requirements. Some may require a BA/BS minimum, some may require an AA/AS minimum, and others may not require any college. I know of at least one department that will accept military experience in place of college, but I'm not sure how it works with reserve/NG service.

A good resource is to look at the different states' websites and look for their POST (Peace Officer Standards and Training) commissions. These are the ones who determine the qualifications for police officers in their states. They often have lists of pre-service academies that meet their requirements.
 
Utah has POST academies taught/conducted at both trade schools and community colleges. Just a high school diploma or equivalent for educational prerequisites.
 
If I may offer some unsolicited advice...

I suggest anyone who is interested in a LEO career apply to his/her organization of choice and be hired. Once hired, the organization will send the recruit to their academy or one with which they are affiliated. That is almost without exception at the expense of the organization.

Now is a prime time to become a LEO. Many organizations are now hiring as those who served in the previous generation are now retiring or have retired.

Be safe.
 
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