Utah Tech University celebrated the achievements of 14 cadets in its Peace Officer Standards and Training Academy at a graduation ceremony earlier this month. The cadets graduated in the Law Enforcement Officer class after several months of training, including having completed the Special Function Officer training previously.
Utah Tech University celebrates graduates from POST Academy
By Jake Harber
Utah Tech University’s POST Academy is a satellite academy, with the main Utah POST located in Sandy. The POST at Utah Tech University serves all of Southern Utah. Utah Tech now runs two POST academies due to high demand and job opportunities in Southern Utah. Candidates must be 21 years of age, be a U.S. citizen, and pass a background investigation to apply to the program.
The Special Function Officer training took the cadets roughly 14 to 16 weeks to complete, with a rigorous training schedule Monday through Friday from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. After completing the SFO training, the cadets were given a few weeks off before beginning their Law Enforcement Officer training, which followed the same schedule for another 16 weeks.
The cadets were required to have 260 hours in the classroom for the SFO training and another 305 hours in the classroom for the LEO training.
“The transformation from day one to graduation is incredible,” Sarah Strickley, support specialist at Utah Tech University, said. “Their demeanors change, their attitudes change, their bodies change, they have an overall transformation.”
Several of the cadets finalized career plans or had plans in the works with police departments by the time they started LEO training. Many were able to graduate wearing those department uniforms and will be starting full-time work in those departments post-graduation.
For more information about Utah Tech University’s POST Academy, please visit post.utahtech.edu.