The Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) has placed an alert on the academy as allegations of cadets cheating on state exams have been revealed.

As it stands, the Rio Hondo Regional Police Academy’s official certification by the POST has been suspended.

All Police training programs including the extended and the reserve police academies, as well as re-qualification courses have been affected. The only program not under inquiry is the in-service training module.

The suspension of police academy activity will continue as long as the investigation is in effect by POST.

Rio Hondo President Dr. Ted Martinez Jr. notified the affected students in person on Tuesday.

In addition to the classes currently in session, the suspension is slated to affect Class #196 originally expected to begin on Oct. 18 and all scheduled classes going forward until a resolution is created.

The indefinite ban on academy activities will not involve basic Administration of Justice courses at Rio Hondo, nor will it impinge on the Rio Hondo Fire Academy.

Dr. Martinez said in an e-mailed statement circulated campus wide on Oct. 5, “We recognize the serious nature of the suspension, regret the impact on our students, and are working diligently with POST to resolve the issues.”

According to a report on KFI radio in Los Angeles, a cadet from the academy reported that at least one study guide question, given by a staff member, was identical to an official test question.

In his e-mail, Dr. Martinez apologized to surrounding law enforcement agencies for the “temporary interruption of police academy classes.”

He also noted, “It is important to assure regional public safety agencies that Rio Hondo College is committed to integrity in all facets of law enforcement training and preparation.”

The POST was created in by the state legislature in 1959, for the sole purpose of creating a set selection and training standards for law enforcement in the state of California.

Over 600 separate entities ranging from state colleges, private policing agencies to public safety centers utilize the POST’s services.

Since its creation in the 1960′s, the Rio Hondo Basic Police Academy has prided itself on being, “one of the premier training academies in the nation,” according to their website. The program usually runs about four classes a year and each section runs for about five months.

The academy consists of a rigorous physical training regimen that is designed to instill in each cadet, “pride, respect and discipline necessary to succeed in law enforcement,” according to their website.

The police academy curriculum also consists of an intricate series of 26 domain examinations that include basic law enforcement, fire arms training, search and seizure, evidence gathering as well as pursuit driver instruction.

Upon successful completion of the Rio Hondo College Police Academy, cadets become eligible to apply for jobs with law enforcement agencies statewide.

On videotape that is. With guns that fired beams of light at a firearms training simulator.

The shoot/don’t shoot exercise was part of day-long police training that 22 deputy district attorneys underwent at the Colorado Springs Police Academy on what for many people was a Columbus Day court holiday.

The program – offered for the first time at the Academy – was aimed at giving prosecutors a sense of what a police officer’s life is like in those moments that later become the subject of courtroom hearings.

“It gave them a better understanding of what they (police) do and the stress they were under,” said Jim Bentley, a former Colorado Springs police officer turned prosecutor who helped stage the training.

The nine hours of training count toward 15 hours of police ride-alongs that deputy prosecutors must complete before they can graduate from handling misdemeanors in county court to trying felonies in district court. They also have to complete 15 county court trials and handle one case on appeal.

So for a day, prosecutors like Andy Vaughan, who joined the 4th Judicial District Attorney’s office in September 2009, traded their business suits and boxes of court files for tight-fitting vest protectors and simulated handguns.

“It’s bulky and uncomfortable,” Vaughan said of the holster, his right hand resting on the gun handle. “The vest isn’t as bad as I thought it would be. It makes me feel safe.”

In addition to lectures, the prosecutors took turns on a firearms simulator that posed various situations where they had to decide in a split-second whether to use deadly force.

In one scenario, a driver they tried to pull over refuses to stop until he gets home. The unarmed but vocal driver is soon joined by a group of stick- and bat-wielding men who emerge from a garage.

Is it OK to shoot the driver who makes verbal threats as he advances with the other men?

“You’re the DA. Is that a good shoot?” asked police trainer Mike Singels.

Probably not if the driver is the last man standing, Singels said. But then he demonstrated how easy it would be for the driver to grab control of the gun and turn it on the prosecutor.

After prosecutor Bryan Gogarty finished his turn, he joked, “Can we install this in our house?”

Gogarty said the exercise was useful.

“No matter how many cases you deal with it’s never quite the same as when you’re actually in a similar position, when you can experience what the officer experiences.”

Many Police Academies do not allow open enrollment, however some states require you to be certified before applying for a Police Officer position with a municipality.  Some police academies require that you are hired by a police agency and then they will send you to the academy.  Other jurisdictions will offer the police academy as a college course of study, and once completed you would then be able to apply to a police agency for consideration for hiring.  Check your local police academy standards in reference to this.

Education: Usually a Police Academy will require you to hold a High School Diploma or a GED equivalent.  Some police academies do require a 4 year college degree or 3 years of generalized work experience as well.

Physical Fitness: A Police Academy will usually require a physical fitness exam.  Where most police academies differ is what the physical fitness consists of.  Most police academies require a run, whether it is a 1 mile, 1 ½ mile run, or more, under a certain predetermined time, depending on sex and age.

Successful Completion of Course: The police academy will provide many tests or exams.  Successful completion of these exams is required.  There will usually be many written exams, based on law, criminal procedure law, etc.  There will also be the physical fitness test, usually an entrance and exit exam.  There will also be defensive tactics exams to show proficiency in self defense, defensive tactics and arrest techniques.  There may be other exams as well as required by each local academy.

Every Police Academy is different so that it is important to check the standards and requirements with each local police academy.