Prioritizing Professional Development
Ongoing training and professional development are critical to providing the highest quality law enforcement services for our campus community.
UI Police officers are highly trained professionals. Our officers undergo extensive training that exceeds standards set by the state of Iowa to ensure they are equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to respond to the variety of situations that can occur on a college campus.
Iowa Law Enforcement Academy
UI Police Officers are state-certified and complete rigorous training at the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy. This training includes courses on trauma-informed interviewing, de-escalation, ethics and professionalism, stress management, use of force, defensive tactics, and more.
Field Training Officer Program
Upon graduation from the academy, our officers are required to complete supplemental training through our Field Training Officer Program to help them prepare for solo patrol. The training cycle for new, non-certified officers consists of a minimum of 640 hours of intensive on-the-job field training and daily performance evaluations. By the end of their field training, new officers must show proficiency in all training areas to maintain their employment as a UI Police officer.
Ongoing Training
In addition to completing the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy and other training required by the state of Iowa, our officers receive ongoing supplemental training throughout their careers to keep their skills and knowledge up to date.
All local law enforcement agencies attend multi-agency training every year, which includes training on all state continuing education requirements, legal updates, and a variety of other topics.
We place special focus on ensuring our officers are equipped to strengthen the relationship between our department and our diverse community, de-escalate interactions with people who are in crisis, and connect people to campus and community support resources
We are proud to provide training in Fair and Impartial Policing, Crisis Intervention, and skill building in emotional intelligence, diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Specialized Training Highlights
All officers are required to complete Fair and Impartial Policing training on an annual basis. This training explores how implicit biases can impact well-intentioned individuals outside their conscious awareness, how these biases can impact perceptions and behavior, and teaches officers important skills for reducing and managing their biases in order engage in their work more safely, justly, and effectively.
While law enforcement is not always the most appropriate first response to a person who is in crisis, inconsistent mental health services across the country have resulted in law enforcement officers serving as first responders to many crises that occur outside of typical working hours, making Crisis Intervention Training critical.
Johnson County looks to treatment over incarceration whenever possible and was the first county in Iowa to require all law enforcement officers to complete Crisis Intervention Training before it became law.
This training teaches police officers how to safely de-escalate mental health crisis situations, and creates connections between law enforcement and mental health providers, hospital emergency services, and individuals with mental illness and their families.
UI Police officers work closely with campus and community partners — such as Student Care and Assistance and the GuideLink Center — who provide supportive services for people who are experiencing a mental health or substance abuse crisis.
UI Police officers regularly train with area law enforcement agencies on best practices for stopping an active shooter and other potential violent incidents.
We are in frequent communication with our law enforcement partners at the local, state, and federal level. We learn from every tragedy that occurs in our nation and worldwide. Tragic situations provide an opportunity to establish new best practices which we are constantly implementing.