Nicolet College will hold a Law Enforcement Recruit Academy June 6 to Oct. 6 for individuals interested in starting a career in law enforcement.

Classes will typically run from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday on the Nicolet Campus one mile south of Rhinelander on Hwy. G.

The academy is open to anyone who has at least 60 college credits in any field. Applicants to the academy will have to pass an oral interview, criminal background check, a physical, and a physical readiness test.

The 720 hours of instruction will include lectures and hands-on scenario training covering numerous areas of law enforcement. These include professional communication, emergency vehicle operation, emergency medical response, tactical skills, traffic and patrol procedures, investigations, and defense and arrest tactics. Graduates will also be proficient in firearms, radar, and field sobriety testing.

This year the Wisconsin Department of Justice expanded the breadth of training in the academy, said Nicolet Criminal Justice Instructor Timothy Gerdmann.

“Like virtually every other occupation, the skills needed to do a job effectively change over time,” Gerdmann said. “The academy now expands upon cultural issues officers often face in the field and provides updated training of tactical skills along with traffic and patrol procedures.”

Upon completion of the 18-week class, graduates will be eligible to go before the Wisconsin Law Enforcement Standards Board to become certified to work in law enforcement in the state. Graduates commonly secure employment with municipal police departments, county sheriff’s departments, and the Wisconsin State Patrol.

Many recruits typically entering the academy are graduates of Nicolet College’s two-year Criminal Justice associate degree program. From 2010 to 2014, the latest year statistics are available, 100 percent of the graduates reported they were satisfied or very satisfied with the program at Nicolet. Oftentimes they cited the quality of instruction as the reason.

“You look across the Northwoods and you find many, many Nicolet graduates having successful careers in law enforcement,” Gerdmann said.

For more information, contact Gerdmann at (715) 365-4535, 1-800-544-3039, ext. 4535, or by email at[email protected].