The CAPCOG Regional Law Enforcement Academy’s next full-time, day BPOC is scheduled to start Dec. 4, 2024, to accommodate unlicensed officer recruits as well as persons looking for a career in law enforcement. The course, which includes training in OC spray, body worn camera, standard field sobriety testing and more has a projected graduation in July 2025.
“For 30 years, CAPCOG has trained peace officers to be ready to hit the streets of its Central Texas communities by the time they graduate; in each class, we want our cadets to excel beyond passing a state exam,” said David Bertling, CAPCOG’s RLEA director. “CAPCOG’s academy teaches that there is more to policing than the law; it is about providing a public service, becoming a bigger part of a community, and being a supportive and trusting neighbor.”
Since the academy started in the early 1990s, CAPCOG has graduated more than 2,000 cadets and maintains one of the best testing records for the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) Texas State Licensing Exams — a 100 percent pass rate over a 10-year period. Those who graduate from the academy earn more than 1,000 TCOLE training hours, exceeding TCOLE’s requirement of 736. Graduating cadets earn additional certificates beyond their Basic Peace Officer License certificates including Baton, Body Worn Camera, OC Spray, Radar, Lidar, and Standardized Field Sobriety Testing, and others based on course scheduling.
The academy accepts peace officer cadets from any agency in Texas if they have been screened by the agency and meet their TCOLE requirements for being a peace officer by their course’s graduation. Agencies with recent graduates include Austin Fire Department; Austin ISD, Manor, Elgin, Bastrop, San Marcos, Cedar Park, Lago Vista, Lakeway and Hutto police departments; and Travis, Hays, Caldwell, Williamson, Blano, Burnet and Bastrop counties sheriff and constable offices.
For cadets not already hired by a local agency, the academy is visited by 5 to 10 recruiters during each course. Many of the recruiters are from local agencies, but CAPCOG BPOCs have been visited by state agencies and police departments from the Dallas and Houston areas. These recruiters inform cadets about their departments, benefits, pay and community while explaining their hiring process and being a be point of contact during their agency’s application process.
Agencies seeking to hire licensed officers before December, can visit CAPCOG’s current BPOC, set graduate in November. Contact the academy at [email protected] or 512-916-6160 to schedule an appointment or learn more about enrolling cadets.
Individuals seeking to join the next BPOC can register for an upcoming entrance exam at https://www.capcog.org/training/peace-officers/.
