CAPCOG started testing prospective cadets to join its Regional Law Enforcement Academy’s next basic peace officer course to begin June 23, 2025. Tests will occur each Fridays until April 25, 2025. The academy and course serve as a training program for police departments and sheriffs’ offices through the ten-county CAPCOG region.
“Peace officers have a passion to serve and protect, but it takes dedication and knowledge to be equipped to do this rigorous work day in and day out,” said David Bertling, CAPCOG’s academy director. “The academy isn’t just a place to learn if you are qualified to be a peace officer. It is a place to grow into a proud public safety officer and public servant. Our goal is to make sure everyone who enters the academy deserves to pin a badge upon their chest at graduation.”
BPOCs are a 33- to 34-week long commitment for enrolled cadets with classes taking place from 5:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, depending on each course’s syllabus. Recent academy cadets have graduated with more than 1,100 Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) certified training hours which include certifications beyond the basic peace officer’s license that prepare them to work in communities throughout Central Texas. Such certifications include tactical police driving, radar and LiDAR semi-automatic handgun, OC spray, standardized field sobriety testing, expandable police baton, an option patrol riffle course and more.
“There are so many communities in Central Texas seeking to hire peace officers,” said David Bertling, RLEA’s director. “We have been here since 1977 helping fulfill their need by educating officers to understand the job, know it goes beyond the badge, and who are eager to be a great part of their community.”
The CAPCOG academy has maintained a 100 percent pass rate on TCOLE’s basic peace officer exam over the last decade. Fifty-five graduating cadets from its last two courses went to work for 17 different agencies in the region. They included numerous police and fire departments; sheriffs and constables’ offices; school districts; universities; and state agencies. Recruiters from inside and outside the region often visit the academy to discuss their agencies and have hired enrolled cadets before and after graduation.
