Interested in Becoming a Police Officer? Learn More at Upcoming Informational Sessions

Police agencies across the state report having a difficult time filling vacancies due to the shortage of qualified applicants. Kalamazoo Valley Community College’s Law Enforcement Training Center is doing what it can to help fill that void through its 16-week Police Officer Training Academy.

“Kalamazoo Valley’s Police Officer Training Academy is recognized as one of the leading police training facilities in the region, consistently graduating high achievers,” Director of Kalamazoo Valley’s Law Enforcement Training Center Paul Bianco said. “But there is a definite need for more.”

Community members interested in training for a career in law enforcement and learning more about the specifics of the training academy are encouraged to attend one of several upcoming information sessions about the academy. The next training Police Officer Training Academy begins August 20 with applications due by May 15.

Information sessions will be held:
Monday, February 26 from 10-11 a.m.
Wednesday, February 28 from 6-7 p.m.
Thursday, March 1 from 2-3 p.m.
Tuesday, March 13 from 10-11 a.m.
Tuesday, March 13 from 6-7 p.m.
Bianco will provide an overview of the intensive training program. He will review information for pre-service graduates, cost and fee structure, academy rules and regulations as well as Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards (MCOLES), curriculum and physical fitness tips.

According Bianco, graduates from the Police Officer Training Academy enjoy the highest employment rate in the state. A total of 92 percent of alumni are employed in the field, compared to a statewide average of 69 percent. More than 2,400 men and women have graduated from Kalamazoo Valley’s Police Officer Training Academy in the program’s 46-year history.

“Anyone thinking about a career in law enforcement is encouraged to come and learn more about our program.”

The one-hour sessions will be held at the Law Enforcement Training Center on Kalamazoo Valley’s Groves Campus located at 7107 Elm Valley Drive, Kalamazoo, Mich., in the Auditorium, Room A1020.

The information sessions are free and open to the public but registration is required. RSVP to the Police Academy Team at pbianco@kvcc.edu or call 269.353.1260, 269.353.1280 or 269.353.1261.