Case Study: The Need for Change in Police Training- Success of the Boulder Police Department's Police Training Officer Program

The Boulder (Colorado) Police Department employs about 175 uniformed police officers and is an accredited police agency. Each year the department trains between 8 to 15 new officers and usually conducts two 21-week training classes for new officers. The core of the recruit police officer training program is a cadre of 40 experienced police trainers. These training officers have the responsibility for not only training new officers but also acting as mentors, coaches, managers, and evaluators.