CAPCOG is seeking prospective cadets to participate in its next Regional Law Enforcement Academy (RLEA) basic peace officer course (BPOC) — a full-time, day course taking place at CAPCOG’s offices. CAPCOG has scheduled multiple entrance exam testing times throughout January with the final exam time being offered January 30. Residents must pass an entrance exam if they are not sponsored by a policing agency to qualify for the BPOC.
“Training at CAPCOG’s law enforcement academy goes beyond making sure people know a lesson plan and can pass a test,” said David Bertling, CAPCOG’s RLEA director. “It is a place that fosters character growth and helps them develop into heroes that run towards danger instead of away from it.”
The academy and course serve as a training program for police departments, sheriffs’ offices, constables, and other law enforcement agencies in the ten-county CAPCOG region. This full-time course has a scheduled start date of April 6, 2026 and an anticipated graduation date in mid-November. Classes will be 5:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday depending on the instructional topic. 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 optional patrol riffle course and more.
“Communities always have a need to recruit new peace officers,” Bertling said. “Since 1977, CAPCOG has been entrusted to educate officers to understand the job, know it goes beyond the badge, and become a greater 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. Sixty-six graduating cadets from its last two courses went to work for more than 20 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. The academy also accepts veterans’ educational benefits.
