Nevada Department of Public Safety

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PUBLIC SAFETY ACADEMY

The Nevada Department of Public Safety is comprised of employees who provide a public safety service. The Department as a whole and the Training Division's obligation is to invest in our people thus providing a better product. We accomplish this through training and educational programs designed to gain a return on the investment. Education is an investment that reaps benefits for the department and Nevada citizens alike. An educated work force can last decades as employees develop the policies and strategies that shape public service; more importantly, they lead organizations serving as mentors and role models to others, passing on what they have learned. Based upon this premise, there are two primary aspects of training provided by the Nevada Department of Public Safety Training Division

Foremost, the Training Division provides basic academy recruit level education. There are two locations within the State of Nevada that this mission is accomplished. Those locations are in Carson City and in Las Vegas. The training Division educates recruit officers from the five law enforcement divisions within the Department of Public Safety. These divisions consist of the Highway Patrol, Parole and Probation, Investigations, Capitol Police, and Fire Investigations. All DPS cadets attend the basic law enforcement academy for nineteen weeks. Then depending upon the DPS division for which the cadet is assigned, he/she attends six more weeks of advanced divisional training. This advanced divisional training provides the recruit with substantially more in-depth job specific training necessary for him/her to perform his/her job assignment more professionally and efficiently.

Overall, the academy training encompasses basic law enforcement education which provides our employees with entry level knowledge. The academy structure is designed around paramilitary concepts and the trainees are put into stressful situations which emulate real life situations as are faced by law enforcement officers in the field. Many courses within this basic curriculum are based upon practical scenario based training. There are over a hundred individual courses taught in the academy and the recruit will receive over 900 hours of educational training.

The second primary aspect of training provided by the Training Division is continuing education programs. All Peace Officers in the State of Nevada are required to complete 24 hours of continuing education every year. As part of this continuing education, officers are required to demonstrate proficiency with firearms, impact weapons, and defensive tactics.

The Training Division also offers other education courses and programs which are attended by DPS sworn officers, DPS civilian support staff, and other law enforcement entities. These courses are offered throughout the state at various physical locations.