The SW Washington Regional Academy will be able to accommodate up to 30 students per class and will run two classes per year

The Clark County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) recently announced that the Criminal Justice Training Commission (CJTC) Southwest Washington Regional Basic Law Enforcement Academy (BLEA) has its first class scheduled to begin on Nov. 27, 2023.

“Through the tremendous effort of regional law enforcement partners, local governments, local and state elected officials, and the CJTC, the SW Washington Regional Academy has become a reality,’’ read a CCSO statement. “This is excellent news for our region and will significantly increase SW Washington law enforcement agencies ability to recruit deputies and officers on patrol and working in the community.’’ 

Historically, most recruit deputies have had to attend the academy in Burien, WA, where local agencies had to compete with agencies across the state for limited academy slots causing wait times for academy start dates to get longer and longer. The Regional Academy will also be an opportunity for local law enforcement to be instructors, facilitators, and mentors at the Regional Academy, which further grows capabilities in our region.

BLEA is Washington’s mandated training academy for all city and county entry-level peace officers in the state. The SW Washington Regional Academy will be able to accommodate up to 30 students per class and will run two classes per year. Each class will teach the 720-hour BLEA Curriculum over approximately 18 weeks. 

The BLEA training model provides a standard training curriculum to ensure all officers have the same base-level understanding of their responsibility to the communities they serve, standards to uphold, and education for effective community-oriented policing.

CCSO would like to thank all of its regional law enforcement partners and state and local elected officials who worked to make the SW Washington Regional Academy happen.

Information provided by Clark County Sheriff’s Office.