ISU law enforcement to train more officers with academy changes

More cops might be coming to Pocatello this fall with some recent changes to the training classes at ISU’s police academy.

The coordinator for ISU’s law enforcement program, Cal Edwards, said this will be a good thing for officers in the region because they don’t have to go all the way to the state academy in Boise.

The new training classes will also be a shorter training period. Instead of 10 months for training, the academy will be a 15-week course.

The program will include officers already hired who are filling the required training, as well as students studying to become police officers.

For right now, the academy will only be training patrolmen, but they hope to eventually be able to train detention officers and dispatchers, too.

Edwards said he thinks the ability to train locally will really help the police force as a whole.

“We’re excited because it’s going to fill our numbers,” Edwards said. “Lately it’s been hard to get police officers in the state and so it will be good. It will get the local people and I think we’ll have lots of support.

Edwards said the academy already has several people signed up for training in the fall. They are coming from Rexburg, Idaho Falls and other areas around the region.

Classes will start Aug. 27.