COS will start accepting law enforcement academy applicants in August

College of the Sequoias will open sign-ups for the 135th Extended Basic Law Enforcement Academy and the 136th Intensive Basic Law Enforcement Academy starting Aug. 10.

Sign-ups for the written exams will be open until 8 a.m. Oct. 2, and there will be four testing dates in October.

COS said a demand for qualified candidates from law enforcement employers across the state prompted the return of the Extended Academy after a four-year hiatus. More than 25 California law enforcement agencies recruit directly from the Hanford-based academy and on average, a quarter of the cadets from the class are employed by the time they graduate.

Chief Darrell Smith of the Lemoore Police Department is chairman of the COS Law Enforcement Advisory Committee.

“Many good law enforcement candidates are unable to attend an intensive format academy because of family and financial commitments,” Smith said. “Over the years when the Extended Academy was in place, we were able to recruit a significant number of strong candidates from that program who are working law enforcement officers in our communities today.”

Kevin Mizner, director of law enforcement training for College of Sequoias, said the academy offices typically receive calls weekly from prospective students who are searching for an Extended Academy Program.

“It is just not possible for many students to commit to an intensive program because they cannot be without a job for six months,” Mizner said. “The Extended Academy meets the needs of those working adults.”

The Intensive Academy Program is available for candidates who are able to train in that format, and completion of the training takes less than six months, Mizner said.

The Extended Academy meets for 10 months on Saturdays and Sundays, and has seven Friday sessions. COS said it’s designed for people with jobs who can’t commit an intensive academy schedule. The extensive program begins Jan. 3, 2016, and the intensive program begins Feb. 8.

COS said that applicants must be at least 18 years old, have a high school diploma or GED, have no felony convictions, get a passing score on the academy entrance exam and physical agility test, have a valid California driver’s license, have fingerprint clearance from the state of California and a medical clearance from a licensed physician. Current employment in law enforcement is not required.

The academy is located at the Public Safety Training Center at 925 13th Ave. in Hanford.

Information and online registration is available at www.cos.edu/PoliceAcademy.

This story was originally published July 10, 2015 at 8:54 PM with the headline "COS will start accepting law enforcement academy applicants in August."