FORSYTH, Ga. — The state of Georgia is doubling the training hours required for law enforcement officers, according to a new plan from the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council. It's raising from 400 to 800 hours in an effort to increase deputies' training.
Ashley Foust graduated as a deputy in June. She said her training was challenging but provided valuable learning opportunities.
"Even though information was given in a short period of time … it's very informative. They have great instructors. That relay the information that we will be doing on the road," Foust said.
Brad Freeman, the sheriff in Monroe County, says the new training will take the existing training and add to what the Georgia Public Safety Training Center is teaching the cadets.
"Monroe County is going to have to pay for that officer to be in class for six months. After they get out of the academy, they are going to have to go through with us for probably another three-month field training program," Freeman said.
He says 12 weeks of training is just not enough, and they will be reinforcing that extra time and adding new information with exams to make sure they are understanding the content correctly.
“They are here, they are back into the community, but not necessarily working because now we have to send them to other classes to get them to where they need to be so they can serve the citizens of Monroe County," Freeman said. "They need that extra training."
The Georgia Public Safety Training Center says they will add several positions to provide better service to cadets. Foust says the new training will be helpful.
"It will be a benefit to them," she said. "It may seem like a long time, but it's definitely needed."