In today’s stagnant economy, conscientious officers seeking training to hone their criminal enforcement and officer safety skills experience the same rhetoric over and over: “Denied due to lack of training funds.” Understandably, police administrators have to make difficult cuts to meet the diminishing budgets and appease the orders of the elected officials that are largely responsible for the economic mess they find themselves in. But one is left to wonder what the thought process is that allows funding for officer training to be cut over other less important funding. It is disheartening to see the number of police officers killed in the line of duty continue to soar to record levels, especially in a time when overall crime rates are decreasing. As a police administrator is there any greater failure than to have an officer killed in the line of duty, especially if an adequate level of advanced training may have provided that officer with a greater array of knowledge and skills to apply in deadly situations? Law enforcement agencies need to stop falling back on go-through-the-motions in-service training as justification for fulfilling officer training needs. Why is it that many agencies are mandated to provide training in areas such as cultural diversity and dealing with elderly people. Are these not areas that our parents should have provided us a lifetime’s worth of training in? I would like to think that by the time a police department has finished vetting candidates for the next academy class they would have a pretty good sense of whether or not that person was accepting, tolerant and compassionate towards others, regardless of their color, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation or social status. Yet, how often are officers mandated to receive training in officer survival? How often are we mandated to qualify with our firearm? Once a year?Twice a year? And at those qualifications are we provided an opportunity to do any tactical shooting exercises or is it just push us through the qualification course, record our scores and send us back to the streets.
Sadly, too many officers are denied opportunities to receive advanced investigative and tactical training that could not only make them better prepared, more competent and safer officers, but would also translate to making the communities they serve safer. Yet, we are still incredibly undertrained and somehow surviving potentially deadly situations on a daily basis; except, of course, for the record number of 125 officers (as of September 18th) that did not survive those encounters so far in 2011.
In light of the current circumstances of limited to non-existent training budgets, I offer you the following possibilities for finding funding in a time when there is none.
1. Asset Forfeiture: Find out where the asset forfeitures made by your department are controlled. If they are controlled by your agency then most certainly they should be designated in part to paying for training. Most agency controlled asset forfeiture funds are managed by the department’s drug enforcement/vice units. You DO NOT have to be assigned to one of those units in order to acquire funds for training. Especially if you aspire to work in a specialized unit like narcotics or vice, you should make your interest known to the powers that oversee the fund. It would help immensely if you have made significant seizures yourself that have contributed to the fund and you can include details of these cases in your memo requesting funds.
2. Tuition Assistance: Does your department offer tuition reimbursement? If so, find out if it can be applied toward training classes relevant to your assignment or career goals. Many agencies do permit these funds to be used for training as well as education.
3. Become a host agency: Many police training companies rely on agencies to host their courses by providing training facilities and helping to market the class in their geographic areas. In exchange, the training company offers reduced and/or free registration to members of the host agency. If there is a course you are interested in but cannot obtain the funding, provide your agencies training coordinator with the course information and ask them to consider becoming a host agency for the course. For information on course hosting with Signal 13 visit our host agency page.
4. Inquire about reduced rates: Contact the company that is providing the training you wish to attend and inquire about reduced rates and/or payment plans if you are paying out of pocket. The owners of Signal 13 are always willing to work with an individual or group of officers who are paying for their own training. We have a strong commitment to providing officers with the best training they can get and see the big picture. That is, we want you to be trained to survive and to make a difference. Please contact us if you are interested in attending one of our courses but are not sure you can afford it.
5. Apply for grants: There are many grant opportunities available and you do not have to be a person of rank to apply for them. You just need to take the time to write a succinct proposal. Information on available law enforcement grants can be found here and here. Find someone on your department who has applied for and obtained grants for your agency and can give you guidance (or maybe you can convince them to use their expertise on your behalf).
6. Civic Associations: Every community has a variety of civic associations that are eager and willing to contribute to a worthy cause. Many of these groups have scholarships that are awarded annually. Why not approach them and see if you can convince them to start a Police Officer training scholarship. After all, these groups are strongly invested in the community you serve and want the community to be safe. Many of these groups (i.e. V.F.W., Knights of Columbus, etc.) have many members that are ex-military and/or retired law enforcement officers. Most training courses cost between $100-$500 which is significant to officers paying out of pocket, but not so significant to an organization that can receive positive publicity and help a worthy cause for a minimal contribution.
7. Approach the Private Sector: Many corporations have funding budgeted for charitable contributions and are law enforcement friendly. Why not approach corporations located in your jurisdiction and see if they are willing to sponsor your training. Use community policing to your advantage by forming partnerships with these businesses and convincing them how the training will benefit you and them. For instance, if you are interested in a street crimes investigations course, it would be easy to explain to a retail business how the expertise you would be gaining can help suppress crimes that target retail business like robberies, thefts, fraud, etc. One example of a corporation that is known for contributing to law enforcement causes is Target. For more information about Target’s programs visit here.
Finally, remember that if you invest in your own training that any expenses incurred including registration fees, transportation, lodging, meals, etc. are tax deductible.
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