Police Academy Application Deadline Extended

The application deadline for enrollment in Kalamazoo Valley Community College's next Police Academy has been extended to January 3, 2017. The Academy will run from January 30 to May 19, 2017.

Graduates from the academy enjoy the highest employment rate in the state. A total of 92 percent of alumni are employed in the field, compared to a statewide average of 69 percent, according to Paul Bianco, director of Kalamazoo Valley’s Law Enforcement Training Center. “Kalamazoo Valley’s police academy is recognized as the leading police training facility in the region, consistently graduating high achievers,” said Bianco.

Bianco said Michigan law requires county and municipal law-enforcement officers to be licensed by the state before they can begin working as police officers. Licensing is obtained by meeting the minimum enrollment requirements, completing the basic training requirements established by the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards (MCOLES), successfully passing the MCOLES licensing exam and obtaining employment with a Michigan police agency.

Candidates must pass the MCOLES pre-service physical-fitness test and reading and writing test. Physical agility testing must be completed no more than 180 days prior to beginning the police academy. MCOLES tests are being administered at Kalamazoo Valley Community College on November 11, December 2 and 16, and January 6, 2017. The tests are also available at other locations. See the MCOLES website at http://www.michigan.gov/mcoles/ for a complete list of testing dates.

Bianco noted that pre-service police academy candidates must have an associate or bachelor’s degree by the time they graduate. Kalamazoo Valley Community College will grant 34 credits to students who successfully complete the entire police academy block of instruction.

The academy will run from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday at The Groves. For more details and an application packet, go to http://www.kvccgrovescenter.com/career/pa/.