Law Enforcement Academy

Approximate total cost per person:

Tuition: $746
*Financial aid, GI Bill, and Promise Grant (free tuition) may be possible.

Uniforms: $200

Firearm: $300 - $700 (must purchase if not currently owned)

Livescan/DOJ Firearms Clearance: (approximately $80)

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A modular academy provides you the same certifications as a full time academy, but over extended part-time courses. The schedule is more flexible and each module provides different job opportunities or career advancement. People can exit and return into the program after meeting the modular certificate requirements, whereas a full time intensive academy requires a six month full time commitment. The different options serve different people.

Each modular certificate is valid for three years under POST regulations if not employed.*

*If employed, you remain active

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Module III - Arrest and firearms certifications (PC 832), reserve officer level III, security, prisoner transport, park ranger, code enforcement, animal control officer, arson investigator, or federal law enforcement working within the state of California.

Module II - Reserve officer level II certification which allows work as a paid or unpaid reserve officer with police powers on duty (under PC 830.6), parole agent, probation officer, some investigators, transit, harbor, or port officer, and Native American tribal police.

Reserve Peace Officer Program (RPOP). POST Reserve Officer FAQ.

Module I - Eligible to become a full time sworn police officer or deputy within the state of California.

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18 years of age for module III. It is possible to be employed as a level III reserve or detention deputy for many local agencies.

You are required to be 21 years old for full time peace officer status, however many local agencies hire reserve officers (levels II and I) at the age of 19.5 or greater. Applicants should be at least 19.5 years of age to enter into the modular II and I programs.

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Prospective recruits should be in appropriate physical condition to handle the academy scenario-based training, firearms range courses, arrest and control, and other related physical components a law enforcement officer may face on the job.

Recruits should train to be able to run three miles at a ten minute pace.

Firearms, arrest and control techniques, and scenario based training can be physically demanding.

An additional progressively intensive physical fitness program to mentor prospective recruits (and current level III and II recruits) for a module I academy will be offered in cycles. The reason we add a voluntary mentoring fitness course concurrently is that POST requires 44 hours of physical fitness and the work sample test battery as a component of Module 1, we want our recruits to be prepared and succeed.

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No. Certain modules lack the traditional stringent physical components of a full time academy and are the perfect opportunity for existing / aspiring professionals to participate in.

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No. The Cerro Coso Law Enforcement Academy is a progressive law enforcement institution that focuses on creating prepared, forward thinking law enforcement professionals by holding recruits to high ethical standards, teaching them self-discipline, accountability, encouraging teamwork every step of the way, while exposing them to experienced instructors and staff, in order to equip them with the necessary tools to be the law enforcement officers that society needs today.

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