Title

The impact of COVID-19 on police training academies

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore the impacts coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) had on US police academies’ production of police recruits.

Design/methodology/approach: The study used a national online survey of police academy directors in the USA, followed by purposive, semi-structured interviews of select academy directors. A combination of quantitative and qualitative data is combined in a mixed methods approach.

Findings: The findings suggest that academies experienced a range of impacts related to COVID-19. These impacts lead to more questions concerning how academies and state-level governing boards responded not only to pandemic-related challenges, but also to their willingness to accept more online and alternative curriculum delivery strategies.

Originality/value: Police academies are a required step in the production of new police recruits in the USA, but researchers have paid little attention to how academies operate. While exploratory, this study provides some insights into how this aspect of policing weathered the COVID-19 pandemic, and offers suggestions for future research, as well as policy implications.

Department(s)

Criminology and Criminal Justice

Document Type

Article

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1108/PIJPSM-06-2021-0078

Keywords

COVID, Police academy, Police training

Publication Date

1-1-2021

Journal Title

Policing

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