LETA Criminal Justice Program
Law Enforcement Training Academy
Pathway to Criminal Justice Program
The Pathway to Criminal Justice Program is focused on students that want to attain an Associate of Arts in Criminal Justice, or a related field, and then focus in the Law Enforcement area. For example; if you want to work with protecting our natural resources, your advisor may recommend attaining an Associate of Science in one of the sciences and then attending the Law Enforcement Certification Program. This would put you on the path towards working with Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
For students that don’t yet meet the age requirement of 20 years old for the Law Enforcement Certificate Program, you can attain an Associate of Arts in Criminal Justice and have a slot secured in the OJC Law Academy. After attaining state peace officer certification this pathway would allow you to seek jobs with the backing of the basic certification and a specialized associates of arts degree.
Law Enforcement Certification Program – Full/Part Time Academy
The Law Enforcement Training Academy puts on both a full time and a part time academy. The full time academy is a one-semester, 40-credit hour, intensive peace officer certification program that provides you with the necessary skills and mindset to succeed in law enforcement. The Academy offers over 750 hours of classroom and hands-on training, including additional hours in investigations, communication, arrest control, firearms training, and law enforcement driving skills. The curriculum encompasses 200 hours above the 556 required training hours set by the Colorado Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Board.
OJC is the only academy that focuses on training students who want to work as a peace officer in small towns or rural areas. While the academy’s focus is on the expanded training needed to serve in smaller, rural law enforcement agencies, OJC graduates are equally prepared to meet the narrower and more job-specific requirements of larger metro agencies as well.
Part-Time Academy Begins Fall 2022
Law Enforcement Associate of Applied Science Degree Track
The Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree combines the Law Enforcement Training Academy with related general education courses to enhance your future career advancement.
The AAS degree articulates into Colorado Mesa University’s (CMU) Bachelor of Applied Science in Public Administration/Public Safety degree program. Please talk to an advisor for more information.
What is Law Enforcement Training at Otero?
OJC’s Law Enforcement Training Academy (LETA) is designed to provide the extensive training you will need to serve communities large or small. We provide added instruction for peace officers serving in rural areas; we believe this focused training creates a better-prepared officer and saves rural law enforcement agencies valuable time and training expenses. Many agencies have limited training budgets or work scheduling constraints that make entry-level officers wait years for the “added” training you will achieve as part of the Law Enforcement Academy at OJC.
| # Students | # Not Graduating Program | # Passed Cert Exam All 3 attempts |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 12 | 0 | 12 |
| 2020 | 24 | 1 | 22 |
| 2021 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| **Data updated May 2021 | |||
Law Enforcement Certification Program
The Law Enforcement Training Academy is a one-semester, 40-credit hour, intensive peace officer certification program that provides you with the necessary skills and mindset to succeed in law enforcement. The Academy offers over 750 hours of classroom and hands-on training, including additional hours in investigations, communication, arrest control, firearms training, and law enforcement driving skills. The curriculum encompasses 200 hours above the 556 required training hours set by the Colorado Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Board.
OJC is the only academy that focuses on training students who want to work as a peace officer in small towns or rural areas. While the academy’s focus is on the expanded training needed to serve in smaller, rural law enforcement agencies, OJC graduates are equally prepared to meet the narrower and more job-specific requirements of larger metro agencies as well.
Law Enforcement Faculty
The Law Enforcement Training Academy (LETA) is staffed with experienced instructors who are experts in their areas of instruction and who have applied and practiced what they teach on the street. OJC Law Academy classes are taught by forty career law enforcement professionals with 400 plus years of combined law enforcement and training experience. The OJC instructors represent, or have retired, from 15 different state and local criminal justice agencies, plus one federal agency.
All OJC instructors are certified in their instruction area and regularly refresh their training. You’ll be learning from proven experts who have applied and practiced on the job everything they teach in the classroom. This “apprenticeship” type training provides you with the strongest and most up-to-date training available from a wide range of instructor experiences.
Why Choose Law Enforcement Training at OJC?
The added “PLUS” students receive by attending the Law Enforcement Academy at OJC includes specialized advanced training and additional training hours in traditional law enforcement basics:
● Additional hours in officer survival, police procedures, criminal investigations,
building search, and scenario-based training.
● Advanced communication training in handling persons in crisis and emotionally-charged
individuals.
● Training in a range of law enforcement weapons and firearms.
● Arrest control training – PPCT and Krav Maga based training exceeding the POST requirement.
● Driving training exceeding the POST requirement. with a focus on daily driving and
emergency environment driving.
● Hands-on/ scenario-based evidence and crime scene processing.
● DUI roadside sobriety testing /SFST with two “wet’” labs.
● OC (pepper) spray certification.
● TASER certification (a “stun-gun” type defensive weapon).
● PEPPERBALL certification.
● Additional hours in Colorado Criminal Code & search and seizure topics.
● Multiple interactive study halls to enhance student learning and retention.
● Career management course to set you up for success in applying for law enforcement
jobs.
● Recruitment sessions during the academy with multiple agencies invited.
● Resources to prepare you for job interviews and promotions.
Learn how to apply to the Law Enforcement Training Academy:
Contact the Academy Director at 719-384-6867 or start the process by completing the checklist below.