The Bureau of Justice Statistics is reissuing this report using a different weighting methodology for the data collected in the 2013 Census of Law Enforcement Training Academies. The original report weighted unit nonresponse based on the number of recruits in each type of academy, which required imputing values for the number of recruits for both item and unit nonresponse. These imputed values could not be replicated using the archived datafile. The methodology used in this revised report weights respondents by academy type (e.g., State POST or local police department; see table 17) and applies that weight to all values provided by responding agencies. This resulted in different estimates from those previously released. For example, the overall estimates of recruits changed from 44,891 to 45,149. Similarly, there were small changes in tables and text throughout the revised report.
Presents findings on the basic training programs of more than 600 state and local law enforcement training academies, including data on program content, recruits, and instructors. Program content is described in terms of teaching methods, major subject areas, average hours of instruction, and curriculum development methods. It describes recruits in terms of demographics, completion rates, and reasons for failure. Employment data by academy type, size, and instructor training requirements are also included. Data are from the 2013 Census of Law Enforcement Training Academies (CLETA), which collected data from all state and local academies that provided basic law enforcement training from 2011 to 2013. Academies that provided only in-service, corrections and detention, or other specialized training were excluded.
- On average, 45,000 recruits entered basic law enforcement training programs each year from 2011 to 2013.
- From 2011 to 2013, an estimated 86% of the recruits who started a basic training program completed it successfully.
- About 1 in 7 recruits entering basic training programs were female.
- Nearly 1 in 3 recruits were members of a racial or ethnic minority.
- From 2011 to 2013, academies at 2-year colleges graduated the most recruits (10,000 per year), followed by municipal police (6,200) academies.