New officers receive a total of 1,440 training hours (approx. 10 months of training): Four weeks of in-house pre-academy training, followed by 20 weeks at the Police Academy and five weeks of additional enhanced training on policies, procedures, and expanded topics beyond academy training including timekeeping, report writing, and radio systems. New officers then complete 12 weeks of field training with a Field Training Officer where they demonstrate proficiency on state outlined objectives. Throughout this process, candidates are trained on subjects such as professionalism, ethics, mental health well-being, de-escalation tactics, and communications strategies through both classroom and practical applications.
Training does not end when an officer joins the team. Our department provides ongoing training beyond the minimum requirement of all police officers. These trainings consistently re-enforce our commitment to our geo-policing model through topics including de-escalation skills, implicit bias awareness, cultural diversity awareness, emotional intelligence, and more.
The Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) requires police officers to complete 40 hours of in-service training every two years. Curriculum is regulated by the Commonwealth of Virginia and includes four hours on legal and constitutional law, two hours on cultural diversity awareness, and 34 hours of career development.