Training

Academy

Waco Police Department recruits attend the Basic Peace Officer Certification program at the McLennan Community College Law Enforcement Academy (MCCLEA) located at 7601 Steinbeck Bend Road. The program prepares recruits to take the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) state licensing examination.

Training covers a variety of academic and investigative subjects lasting approximately 20 weeks. Exams are administered during the training process. Recruits must be able to pass the exams and maintain a required grade point average set by MCCLEA. Failure to do so will result in separation from the academy as well as from the Waco Police Department.

The MCCLEA Basic Peace Officer Certification program is conducted two times a year, beginning in January and July. Class hours are primarily Monday - Friday 8am-5pm.

Field Training

Upon graduation from the Basic Peace Officer Certification Program, the new Waco Police Department probationary officers receive an additional six weeks of in-house training at the Waco Police Academy. This training includes Waco Police policies and procedures, additional firearms training, defensive tactics, city geography, report writing and tactical procedures along with other courses.

Following the in-house training program, the new probationary officers enter the Field Training Program for 16 weeks. Probationary Officers are placed with different Field Training Instructors. These instructors train the probationary officers to function in a safe, skillful, and professional manner. A probationary officer’s training is evaluated and documented through the final evaluation process.

After probationary officers have successfully completed the Field Training Program, they are assigned to a shift in the Community Services Patrol Division. Probationary officers lose their probationary status after one year of employment as a commissioned officer.