WPD Debuts Peace Officer Academy

Calib Amos has been patrolling Westerville roads and responding to calls as a Westerville Division of Police (WPD) officer for about two months. His swearing-in by City Manager Monica Irelan took place in February, about two weeks after graduating from the Columbus Police Academy. Amos will be among the last graduates to join WPD from the CPD Academy. Amos’ graduation from Columbus marks the start of a new era. Beginning this year, WPD officers, and others who serve Central Ohio communities, will be trained and certified at the Westerville Justice Center.

In June, WPD welcomes its first class of men and women destined to become peace (police) officers. The Westerville Basic Peace Academy follows the training curriculum and requirements of the state of Ohio, providing a local solution to conduct training and recruitment with WPD personnel at its own facility.

“The Justice Center provides the equipment and modernized space we need in order to bring our Academy in-house and offer it to communities in the surrounding region,” said WPD Chief of Police Charles Chandler. “We have the capability to provide instruction for the Ohio law enforcement community using the latest research and recommended professional practices, and we want to provide that level of service and continuity for our community.”

Stephen Fridley as Academy Commander; Fridley holds the certifications required to manage Academy operations. He will oversee the 22-week curriculum for cadets who are required to achieve 850 hours of instruction.

“Our recruit handbook mirrors the rules, regulations and expectations of the traditional academies that graduate peace officers,” said Fridley. “We are taking advantage of our own facility and the expertise of our own certified instructors to help generate the next few recruitment classes of Westerville officers.”

Fridley says the Academy will offset operational costs through a tuition model for other agencies that send their recruits to Westerville. Full tuition for the program is $4,280 per cadet.

Recruits’ attendance requirements are the same as any other 40-hour-a-week job, minus room and board. Eight-hour training and classroom days are required, but cadets may return to their homes at the end of the workday.

Fridley points to the modernized Justice Center for leading WPD in this direction.

“This facility is the difference-maker when it comes to training and graduating our own recruits,” said Fridley. “We have a classroom, virtual-reality based simulations, a new firearms range and everything else a modern Academy can offer. We have the tools we need to recruit the future of law enforcement professionals and ensure they are trained to our standard.”

For more information on the WPD Basic Peace Officer Academy, visit police.westerville.org