The Butte College Public Safety Education & Training Center educates and trains students to serve and protect the public in a highly competent and professional manner.
Courses presented under the auspices of the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (P.O.S.T.) are listed as AJLE (Administration of Justice � Law Enforcement) courses in the College Schedule. They include the Regular Basic Law Enforcement Academy in intensive format and �Advanced Officer� courses, which are also referred to as Perishable Skills training, for in-service peace officers. They have included the Regular Basic Law Enforcement Academy with Fish and Game Emphasis, and the Regular Basic Law Enforcement Academy with State Parks emphasis. Combined, the AJLE programs generate approximately 450 FTE. Completion of the programs in this unit allow for students to earn the following: 1. Certificate of Achievement - All academies. 2. AS Degree - Law Enforcement - All academies. 3. Certificate of Course Completion - All academies 4. Certificates of Course Completion for the Public Safety Dispatcher Course, 832 Arrest Module Course, and 832 Firearms Module Course. All pedagogical caps have been reviewed and are appropriate.
Law Enforcement Academy students are not evaluated and assessed in the same manner as other programs throughout the District. Our program delivers education and training in 41 specific learning domains and each student's performance in each domain is evaluated and tested either by comprehensive or manipulative skills tests established by the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST). Each student is required to attain a score of 80% or above throughout progrm in order to graduate from the law enforcement academy.
Following are the percentages of students who have successfully graduated from the Law Enforcement Academy program over the past six academies:
143rd Academy 90%
144th Academy 84%
145th Academy 98%
146th Academy 83%
147th Academy 100%
148th Academy 93%
Although we do not have the ability to specifically determine if our graduating students attain employment in the law enforcement career field, informally through word-of-mouth we believe that the attainment rate is 90-100%. We are experiencing a significant increase in the number of students who are already employed by a law enforcement agency and are enrolled by their agency into the academy program.
Due to the nature of our program, we maintain close contact with northstate law enforcement agencies who we consider our client base. Sponsoring agencies are encouraged to frequently visit our academy to maintain contact with their employees and track their performance. Additionally, we have maintained an advisory board comprised of top agency administrators. The board meetings are traditionally held monthly, but have been curtaied recently due to COVID precautions.
The academy program has traditionally filled all of the available classroom seats with students interested in entering the law enforcement career field. Due to the program being considered an "essential service,' we have been allowed to present our course face-to-face throughout the COVIC crisis, thereby maintaining our support toward college enrollment. It should be noted that throughout the COVID crisis, we have experienced very minimal disruption in our academies due to exposures. We take credit for this success due to the safety measures we put in place and the strict attention to compliance.
The law enforcement academy program is highly regulated by POST and undergoes constant scrutiny of all aspects of our program. Our program underwent a Basic Course Certification Review by POST in 2017, in which several minor discrepancies were identified. Corrections were immediately made to the satisfaction of POST. Although the BCCR is designed to be held every two years, POST has been restricted from conducting a review of our program due to COVID and related staffing shortages. We anticipate that our next review and re-certification will occur in 2023.
The primary goal of the law enforcement academy program is to continue to provide the very best possible law enforcement training to students wishing to enter the career field. This will be controlled by constant adherence to POST regulations, continued involvement by our law enforcement agency partners, and employing the following strategies.
Strategy 1 - Maintaining Currency and Standards
The Butte College Law Enforcement Academy maintains a commitment to ensuring its accredidation with the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training by complying with all applicable regulations and guidelines. We will remain dedicated to the education and training of staff to ensure that students receive the most thorough and contemporary training.
It is critical that our students receive the very best law enforcement training available to ensure their success and safety upon entering the career field.
Strategy 2 - Maintaining Resources and Equipment
Funding for the routine maintenance and replacement of key resources and equipment will continue to be sought through District and outside sources.
The Law Enforcement Academy Program is large in scope and complex in nature. Emergency vehicles, firearms, gas masks, leather gear, ballistic vests, hand-held radios, etc. are but a few of the many items used in support of the critical training that is provided to ensure student success and safety. This equipment requires ongoing maintenance and frequent replacement to ensure the continuing credibility of the program.
Strategy 3 - Meeting Facility Needs
Due to the manipulative nature of the training presented in the Law Enforcement Academy Program, various facilities are used throughout the campus. The Public Safety Training Grounds are used for physical training, arrest and control exercises, crime scene scenario practice, emergency vehicle operations, etc. The off-site firearms range is used exclusively for handgun and shotgun training. Additionally, many other locations around campus are used during demonstration of various learning domains within the academy program.
All of these facilities require ongoing maintenance, repair, or replacement to provide for a safe training environment.
Strategy 4 - Improving Quality of Service to Students and the Public
The quality of the service that is provided to the Law Enforcement Academy Recruits is made possible through competent and professional staff members. The recruitment and hiring of our instructors, recruits training officers, coordinators and administrative staff is critical to the success of the program. Additionally, ongoing training of these individuals is essentual to ensuring the requisite competency and professionalism.
Providing adequate program support is critical to our continuing accreditation by the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training. This includes adminstrative staff, coordinators, and recruit training officers. Attendance at specific meetings with P.O.S.T. and allied agencies, along with enrolling in career-specific training, will enhance the credibility of our program and staff.
None
The Law Enforcement Academy is supported primarily by the General Fund, with some additional support coming from student material fees. Additionally, Strong Workfforce, Perkins Funds and the Instructional Equipment Block Grant have been utilized to to rectify safety issues and replace critically important equipment.
In relation to the Fish and Wildlife Academy and the State Parks Academy, State funds from the two departments also support academy activities and instruction.
| Original Priority | Program, Unit, Area | Resource Type | Account Number | Object Code | One Time Augment | Ongoing Augment |
| Description | Supporting Rationale | Potential Alternative Funding Sources | Prioritization Criteria | |||
| 1 | PSETC - AJLE - Law Enforcement Academies | Equipment | 11-000-511-1-210550 | 56410 | $177,000.00 | $0.00 |
| Academy Training and Testing Equipment | The following equipment is needed to maintain the quality of the training that is provided to Law Enforcement Academy students: Gas Masks and Filters (50) - $30,000 Replacement laptop computers for AHPS students (60) - $96,000; Height Adjustable Desks (5) - $8,000 Relocating Academy Radio Equipment (LRC to AHPS) - $18,000 |
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| 2 | PSETC - AJLE - Law Enforcement Academies | Personnel | 11-000-511-1-210550 | 52320 | $0.00 | $20,000.00 |
| Staffing | The Public Safety Education and Training Center is responsible for providing administrative support staff to the Basic Law Enforcement Academy, Fish and Wildlife Academy, State Parks Academy, Administration of Justice Degree Program, and Fire Science Degree Program. Additionally, support is provided advanced officer training, dispatcher training, and Penal Code 832 training. The various programs are complex and demanding, and require consistency and thoroughness. Our current use of student assistants is sporatic and short lived, not allowing them enough exposure to become proficient at the job. A permanent 1/2 time Secretary I would provide the necessary stability to better serve the staff, students, and the public. |
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| 3 | PSETC - AJLE - Law Enforcement Academies | Facilities | 11-000-511-1-210550 | 55630 | $26,000.00 | $0.00 |
| Facilities Relocation, Maintenance and Repairs | Completion of the following three individual projects are needed to ensure the continuing quality of training required in the various programs. Firearms range maintenance, including interior and exterior painting, shade structure for students, backstop berm maintenance, and lawn and sprinkler maintenance and repair. $10,000. Relocating the secure firearms vault from the AHPS classroom to the now vacant simulator room in the simulator building. $10,000. Relocating and Improving the now vacant classroom in the simulator building to another larger room that will accommodate more students. $6,000 |
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