Are all police academies the same

Question

Are all police academies the same

Answer 1

Similar, yes. The same, probably not.

The criteria is set by the state, so it will definitely vary between states. As far as different academies in the same state, there still could be some differences. The criteria set is a minimum, certain departments may add more. When I went through the WI State Patrol academy, the minimum for traffic law was 20 hours. We got 200 hours, almost half of the total training.

Answer 2

yes

Answer 3

Depends on where you are, but within a given state, one of the ways academies can differ most is in physical training, everything from a token effort to boot camp style activities.  

Answer 4

No, they vary widely.

Each state sets the minimum training requirement for various subjects (example - 50 hours firearms, 80 hours first aid, 30 hours criminal law, 15 hours arrest procedures, 10 hours Constitutional law, etc) but the academies are free to do more than that if they wish.

Training also varies widely from state to state. Minimum basic training in some states is only 200 hours while some others mandate at least 600 or more. NY City gets over 1,000 hours of basic training.

Academies are like colleges, some crank out a top quality product and some let anything with a pulse get through.