Training
Division
The
Training Division is responsible for ensuring that officers
remain certified to perform their sworn duties. This is accomplished
by scheduling a minimum of 40 hours of mandatory training
for each officer on an annual basis - a departmental standard
that far exceeds state requirements.
Members
of the division are trained to conduct on-the-job courses
in areas such as firearms qualification, self defense, and
medical first aid certification.
.
Equally
important is the significant role they play in providing the
department with timely briefs on criminal laws and the passage
of public acts related to complex social issues such as domestic
violence and sexual assault. As a result of this effort, the
department is able to maintain a high level of awareness on
issues that can affect the community, and is better equipped
to respond to those issues as they arise.
The
division also schedules officers for top-tier academic courses
at the Police
Officers Standards of Training (P.O.S.T.) Academy and
at other major training agencies nationwide. Through these
specialized programs, officers have the opportunity to learn
the latest in crime fighting techniques and take advanced
instruction in subjects such as DWI enforcement, crime scene
processing, suicide prevention, the psychopathology of stalking,
and effective interview and interrogation techniques.
Recognizing
the depth and strength of West Hartford's Training Division,
many surrounding communities opt to send their officers to
West Hartford for training and certification. The division
also trains the Capitol Police and the Air National Guard
Police.