North Idaho Reserve Police Academy goes online in 2012

The North Idaho Reserve Academy, typically hosted by the Coeur d'Alene Police Department (CDAPD), has undergone some technological updates designed to make it easier, and less expensive, for reserve officers to attend classes. This year, the CDAPD partnered with the Idaho Peace Officers Standards & Training (POST) Academy and all classes for the North Idaho Reserve Academy will be broadcast over the Idaho Education Network (IEN). The IEN is a secure, online network that can be accessed in every community through local, public high schools.

The classes will be broadcast live over the IEN and produced by instructors at the POST Academy in Meridian. Because the broadcasts are live, once students are logged in they will be able to interact and ask questions of the instructor over the network during class.

Online classes eliminate the need for reserve officers to travel to Coeur d'Alene, saving time and money, and limiting the need for travel during winter. Classes will be scheduled after hours and on weekends so there will be no conflict with IEN broadcasts to local high schools. Additionally, this will allow Region One agencies who do not currently have reserve officers due to budget constraints, the ability to take advantage of this training and the Idaho POST Reserve Officer program.

The IEN system is an established system and the POST Academy has been using it for years to broadcast training. There are agencies in central Idaho who have been training Reserve Officers for years through the POST Academy IEN Reserve Academy broadcasts because their budgets will not allow for employees to travel.

There are several "hands on" physical classes and labs that students will need to attend in order to graduate. Physical classes and labs will be instructed by North Idaho Master Instructors and other Experienced Academy instructors who live locally.

This new Reserve Academy format will save the Cd'A Police Department thousands of dollars in instructor overtime pay. The department's only cost will be the local "hands on" physical classes where instructors are needed - a significant reduction from past academies.

CDAPD is excited about this new partnership and has plans to become more involved with the IEN and POST in the future.

Info: Sgt. Jeff Walther, 769-2320.