CEI receives official approval for Peace Officer Standards and Training
CODY ROBERTS | croberts@postregister.com
The College of Eastern Idaho received official approval for Peace Officer Standards and Training.
The College of Eastern Idaho’s training program for law enforcement — known as Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) — has received official approval from the state, according to a press release.
“This approval from the state will be a huge benefit to the local community and law enforcement agencies,” Trevor Elordi, vice president of CEI’s Workforce Training and a retired police officer, said in the release. “Before, recruits had to travel for training, which meant higher costs for departments, time away from their families, and less local oversight. Now, officers will train in the same communities where they will serve, stay connected with their families, and receive direct, hands-on instruction tailored to our region’s needs.”
The program will eliminate the need for agencies to send officers to Boise or Pocatello for certification, according to the release.
CEI’s POST program has an emphasis on scenario-based training, according to the release, and was developed in close collaboration with local law enforcement agencies and retired officers.
The program will launch two academies — detention and patrol. Initial enrollments will prioritize recruits already employed by law enforcement agencies, but CEI hopes to expand the program for general enrollment in the future.
The detention academy will focus on training deputies for county jails. This will run eight weeks starting April 28. Students must be 18 years old to enroll.
The patrol academy is designed for officers and deputies who will serve on patrol, covering firearms safety, emergency vehicle operations, arrest techniques, and physical training. This will run 18 weeks starting in July. Students must be 21 years old to enroll.
“When I started this job, my top priority was to make this program a reality,” Elordi said in the release. “I attended a police academy at a small community college in California, and I knew it was possible to bring that same level of training here to Idaho Falls. I have to give all the credit to my Workforce Training team at CEI — without their dedication, this wouldn’t have been possible. They believed in the vision and worked tirelessly to make it happen.”