Police officers come from all walks of life. Some start their careers right out
of college, some enter the workforce before
transitioning to law enforcement, while others serve in our nation's military first.
Young men and women from a variety of backgrounds and with very different
life experiences come together to form a diverse group all dedicated to pursuing
one of the most rewarding professions in public safety. In the suburban Chicago
area, members of this diverse group of people come together to participate in
14 weeks of intense training at the Suburban Law Enforcement Academy.
Hello, my name is Jim Volpe. I'm the Director of the Suburban Law Enforcement
Academy, otherwise known as SLEA. Located on the main campus of College of
DuPage in Glen Ellyn Illinois, SLEA has been training police officers and
sheriff's deputies since 1994. We are rapidly approaching our 100th Academy
class, 25th anniversary and proudly graduating over 4000 police recruits.
In fact, some members of our first Academy classes are beginning to retire after
over 20 year careers in law enforcement. This video represents a typical, "day in
the life" of one of our recruits. We hope to give you a good idea of what to
expect here at SLEA. We are one of only seven police academies in the entire
state certified by the Illinois State training board otherwise known as LETS-B.
Every police officer, trooper and sheriff's deputy in Illinois is trained
at one of these seven academies. We run four, 14 week classes each year. Each class
typically has 60 to 75 police recruits. Three times a year we have a two week
overlap between classes with upwards of 120 recruits in the building from two
classes at the same time. All of our recruits are full-time employees of
state, county and local police agencies from all over Illinois. They have already
been hired by a police department when they start here. We are what's known as a
commuter academy - meaning most of our recruits come here in the morning and
leave to go home in the evening. This mimics the real world of policing
where officers have to allow for traffic and the weather. They have to make sure
they arrive on time for their shift. We have no housing or dormitories here
at SLEA, but some of our recruits who live a distance away do spend the week
in nearby hotels. We administer the standard 560 hour curriculum mandated by
the state of Illinois. Every Monday morning there is a written test that
covers the material that was taught the week before. Recruits must maintain a 70%
minimum average in order to take the three-hour, cumulative written
certification test which is administered by I-Let's-Be on the morning of
graduation day. We follow a highly structured training model here at SLEA.
Police departments and sheriff's offices throughout the United States are
organized in a paramilitary fashion. It is the most efficient and effective way
to train. We'll teach you how to think independently, assess situations
critically and solve problems. But you'll also know how to work as part of a well
disciplined team. Everything we do here is by design. Everything. There is a
system in place to help teach and train recruits in the most efficient, effective
and safest manner possible. We do improve upon techniques from time to time, always
open to new technology and innovations, but the reality is many of the
time-tested traditional methods have proven to be quite successful.
Every police officer working today has gone through an almost, identical police
academy at the start of their career. Approximately two weeks before day one
at the academy, recruits must pass the illinois peace officer wellness
evaluation report or power test here at SLEA recruits must be able to
complete a timed mile and a half run, bench press a certain weight, do a
certain number of sit-ups, and show flexibility on the sit and reach test.
The parameters are dependent on both your age and gender. The minimum
performance scores are set by I- Let's-Be rules and can be found online.
The powertest standards are the minimum requirements to participate in police
training. You need to be an excellent physical shape. Chasing a suspect and
then potentially fighting and taking him into custody is demanding. By the time
you leave here you'll be in the best physical shape of your life.
recruits attend the academy Monday through Friday for 14 consecutive weeks.
The training day start early at 5:30 a.m. recruits arrive for physical
training or PT, 3 days a week - usually Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
We exercise hard from 6 to 7 a.m. the class warms up, does calisthenics, runs and does
a wide variety of other physical activities in order to build strength,
increase endurance and help prevent injuries. Recruits are expected to bring
strike gloves, jump rope, wrestling shoes, running shoes and cross trainers to PT
each morning. The academy uniform package includes sweat pants, shorts, t-shirts and
sweatshirts. At 7 a.m. PT is over and recruits have 45 minutes to shower, dress
and get across the street to the Robert Jay Miller Homeland Security Education
Center, home of SLEA. On Tuesday and Thursday mornings when there is no PT,
we typically have uniform inspections, especially the first few weeks.
Meticulous attention to detail in the Academy is critical. It sets the standard
for the rest of an officer's career. A professional, squared away appearance
instills confidence in the public we serve. On day 1 of the Academy, recruits
report at 6 a.m. that Monday morning in plain white long-sleeve dress shirts.
Everyone is dressed the same. They remain that way for the first few days until
their academy uniforms are issued. Beginning the end of week 2, the class
learns how to properly wear their gray academy uniform shirts with their class
number and name s every day. Crisp, iron and squared away and they'll do that
every day for the next two months. Beginning in week 11 and until
graduation, the class will transition to wearing
their agency issued, long-sleeve uniforms and ties. Each Academy class creates
their own model and it's shouted in unison whenever the class is called to
attention and formation.
This builds a strong sense of spirit. At 8:00 a.m. sharp every single day, the
class starts with formation and the Pledge of Allegiance. We always take the
time to solemnly honor officers who have died in the line of duty and prepare for
the busy day ahead. Sadly, we will lose over 30 police officers in the United
States over the course of a typical 14 week, training academy class. For most
police officers, no two work days are exactly alike. The same is true at the
academy - every day is different with a variety of topics covered each
week. On Friday afternoons recruits have defensive tactics training, where a
variety of skills are taught in the mat room including: handcuffing, prisoner
searching, counter strikes, ground fighting, pressure points, weapon
retention, escorts, joint locks, knee strikes and use of the police baton.
These are the building blocks we use to train recruits to become police officers.
The 14 weeks is broken down into three phases. Phase one is from the first day
to the end of week five. The first two weeks getting acclimated and almost all
of it is in the classroom - with the exception of PT and defensive tactics.
In fact, our Academy classroom looks just like every other college classroom here
at College of DuPage. Phase two consists of week six through ten. Week six and
seven are spent on the firearms range. Weeks eight, nine and ten have more work
in the classroom, but also some hands-on practical exercises and scenario based
training. Weeks 11 through 14 are phase 3 which
includes traffic stops, crimes in progress and courtroom testimony.
The last four weeks is when we tie everything together. Our classroom and
lecture curriculum covers important topics you would expect, such as
constitutional law, use of force, crisis intervention, de-escalation techniques,
homeland security, law enforcement ethics, procedural justice,
criminal law, civil rights, the Illinois vehicle code, traffic crash investigation,
Community Relations, crime scene investigation,
hazardous materials, crime prevention, cultural diversity, report writing,
courtroom testimony, Fourth Amendment laws of search and seizure, neurobiology
of trauma, juvenile law, evidence processing, Narcotics Enforcement,
gang intelligence, domestic violence, mental illness and non normative behavior,
child abuse, CPR, emergency first aid, standardized field sobriety tests and
DUI enforcement. The certified Academy curriculum is broken down into learning
objectives or blocks. There are 75 individual areas of instruction to cover
in just three and a half months. No doubt there is a lot to learn. Each recruit is
issued a laptop computer by the Academy to access information and take notes.
Recruits do everything together as a class. This helps build camaraderie and
stresses the importance of teamwork that will serve recruits well when they
return to their agencies. We take a 10-minute break every hour to use the
restroom or grab a snack. Recruits have a break room with coffee but have to
remain inside the Academy at all times. There are no telephone calls and we are
on a tobacco-free campus so there's absolutely no smoking breaks. At 12 Noon,
recruits get thirty minutes for lunch together as a class here on campus and
then an activity. Everyone brings their lunch as there is not enough time to
leave campus. This helps ensure healthy food choices too. Each class is
self-governing meaning they elect their own class officers, president,
vice-president, treasurer, etc. to help foster leadership and organizational skills.
The class and each individual recruit develop self-discipline and
problem-solving and making decisions together using teamwork.
While the Academy instructors and class officers are important, it is the class
supervisors who interact with the recruits on a daily basis.
Police departments who send us their recruits take turns detailing a veteran officer
from their agency to us for the entire 14 weeks. Often times the supervisors
actually attended SLEA years ago. Each supervisor is
responsible for approximately 25 recruits. The class supervisors are
experienced law enforcement officers who are the first ones here before the
recruits arrive in the morning and the last to leave the building after the day
is done. They directly supervise the recruits providing training, counseling
and advice along the way. They help motivate and evaluate the recruits on a
daily basis making sure they develop good officer safety habits and
self-discipline. The training day typically ends at 5:00 p.m.
Recruits work together to straighten up their classroom and break room before
they leave for the evening. It's a point of pride. In a few weeks their squad car
will be their office and they will be expected to keep that clean and
organized as well. Then they come back early the next morning to do it all again.
Some of our recruits participate in voluntary study groups after the day
is over. Some take advantage of our excellent reading and writing academic
Support Center at the College of DuPage. And some get in a quick workout at the
chaparral fitness center. We offer a variety of optional elective classes
here at SLEA on Saturday mornings throughout the 14 weeks in conjunction
with Northeast Multi Regional Training for an additional fee. They can complete
a 40 hour online juvenile Officer class with a 3-hour review and test on a
Saturday morning toward the end of the Academy. We also host an eight-hour taser
certification class on a Saturday morning as well as a four-hour officer
safety class entitled "Below 100" where we stress the importance of good tactics
and habits to reduce the number of officers killed in the U.S. each year to below 100.
One of our most popular optional Saturday morning classes is how the law-enforcement
career affects family life. Recruits bring their parents siblings spouses or significant others
to hear from experts in the field about how policing can impact
off-duty home life. Policing is a very rewarding career
but we know that the job can be stressful and the demands placed
on an officer can take a toll on their well-being. Law enforcement academies have a
responsibility to help recruits prepare to cope with the pressures
of their work. We discuss a wide range of topics
focused on total, overall wellness from Day one. Physical fitness and nutrition
guidance, to peer counseling, PTSD, psychological concerns and the risks
associated with substance abuse. Studies have shown that when officers physical
and mental health issues go unaddressed, job performance declines
and decision-making abilities are impaired. Maintaining officer wellness is
directly tied to being effective. It all starts here at the Academy. In the end, we
hold a graduation ceremony on Friday afternoon of week 14. Friends and family
gather to congratulate the recruits and take pictures. It's a very special day
for the recruits and for the Academy staff. Graduation does not signify the
end of recruits training though, oh no, it actually marks a transition to the field
training portion. Most recruits will return to their home agencies to go on
patrol partnered with a series of experienced policed field training
officers or FTOs for another 14 to 20 weeks. Under the watchful eye of their
FTOs, they will work every shift and a variety of beats or zones, in order to
put into practice what they've learned while at the Academy.
Spirit. Leadership. Effort and Attitude. SLEA. That's the Suburban Law Enforcement Academy.
I hope this video has given you an idea of what a typical day is like here at the police
academy thank you for watching.