Law Enforcement Training Academy

The Law Enforcement Training Program at Trinidad State College College is accredited by the Colorado Peace Officer Standards and Training Board (POST). The Law Enforcement program is designed to prepare students to become professional law enforcement officers who have the ability to think clearly, apply communication and human behavior principles, and effectively use hands on skills as the situation requires.

What will I learn?  
This training program is designed to provide you with the skills you will need to perform the duties of a law enforcement professional.  To a large extent, what you learn here will depend upon your individual focused effort. However, these rules and regulations will assist you in the learning process and to help facilitate an orderly orientation into the Academy program.  You will discover that a moderate amount of discipline will be applied during academy sessions and field training exercises. This is for your safety and benefit while you are attending the Academy as well as when you are employed by a law enforcement agency where proper educational functioning depends upon your mature internal discipline.  The Colorado Peace Officers Standards and Training Board has established a curriculum and has mandated the required amount of training hours used in all Law Enforcement Training Programs. This places an attendee at the Academy in a different learning situation than that of a traditional college student. Therefore, attendees are referred to as RECRUITS who must complete all of the mandated hours prescribed by P.O.S.T. before they are eligible to sit for the state certification exam.  Observance of these Rules and Regulations is an integral part of your Academy training. They become an important part of an agency’s selection process because your ability to abide by these rules is an indication of your probable performance in your chosen career – LAW ENFORCEMENT. 

What is the location?  
The majority of the training takes place at the San Luis Valley Law Enforcement Regional Training Center, located in Alamosa, Colorado.  Skills training also takes place at various locations within Alamosa.

What will I earn? Certificate? Degree? 
Attending this academy will earn you a Certificate in Basic Law Enforcement (35 Credit hours).

What careers or fields can I pursue from this certificate or degree? 
By earning this certificate in Basic Law Enforcement, you will be eligible to take your Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) test to obtain certification to become a police officer within the State of Colorado.   

Course availability?  
Spots are limited to twenty-five (25) cadets per academy. Class starts in the fall (usually mid-August) and graduation is the following May. 

What is the program length?  
This program is approximately 9 ½ months long and consists of 614 contact hours.

Is this a limited entry program or discipline? 
Cadets must be required to pass a background check and possess no felonies or violent misdemeanors on their record.  In addition, cadets must be able to submit and pass drug screenings.   

Is there professional licensure?  
You will take your Colorado POST test after the conclusion of the academy to obtain your state certification.  

Where can I transfer my degree?
Cadets who want to obtain their Associates degree in Basic Law Enforcement, after completion of their Certificate at the Academy, can do so by earning an additional 27 credits.

The Law Enforcement Academy classes will normally be held from 6:00pm to 10:00pm during the weekdays. Classes will also be held on many weekends, to include Saturday and Sunday.

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Professional Licensure Disclosure

Important Note for Prospective Students:
If you are considering an academic program that leads to a professional license in the state where you plan on living and working after graduating, it is highly recommended that you first seek guidance from the appropriate licensing agency in that state BEFORE beginning the academic program at Trinidad State College. In compliance with the U.S. Department of Education and the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (NC-SARA), Trinidad State College provides information pertaining to professional licensure and certification in correlation with programs offered at TSC that may lead to state licensure.

The State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) is an agreement among member states, districts, and territories that establishes comparable national standards for interstate offering of postsecondary courses. It is intended to make it easier for students to take courses offered by postsecondary institutions based in another state.

If you plan on taking Trinidad State College classes, please check the SARA Map to verify that your state has either authorized or exempted our college to offer classes or programs to you as a resident of your state.

Students are advised to review the following program licensure information BEFORE beginning a program at TSC that leads to professional licensure with the intent to be licensed outside of the state of Colorado:

Review the licensing information provided for the applicable program(s) below.
While TSC endeavors to ensure this information is up to date, changes in licensure requirements of any state can change at any time. Contact the appropriate licensing agency in the U.S. states and territories where licensure is intended. This will enable you to obtain the most up-to-date information about licensure requirements and confirm TSC’s program meets those requirements especially while progressing through any of these programs.

Not all of TSC’s programs are formally approved for professional licensure. However, while a program may not be formally approved in states outside of Colorado, it may still meet all or a portion of the “educational” requirements for licensure in other states and territories. Therefore, it may be necessary for you to contact the licensing agency directly to find out if a TSC program will meet educational requirements in states other than Colorado.

Additionally, while progressing through any of these programs, TSC recommends that you check licensing agency requirements regularly to monitor whether they have changed in a manner that impacts your licensure plans. 

"Post is the accrediting organization for the Law Enforcement Academy, and therefore, student education records may be released to Post upon request by POST for the purpose of carrying out it's accrediting functions."

To learn more, please review the licensure information provided for the program of interest:
Cosmetology
Emergency Medical Services
Law Enforcement Academy
Nurse Aide
Nursing

For additional assistance pertaining to professional licensing compliance, please contact Lynette Bates, Vice President for Academic Affairs, lynette.bates@trinidadstate.edu.