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The Orange County Sheriff's Academy is recognized statewide as an innovative organization that impacts the caliber of entry level recruits like no other. This reputation has been earned in the eyes of numerous police agencies and fellow academies over its more than forty years of existence.

Part of this success is attributed to the academy's successful affiliation with Santa Ana College. Both the academy and the college work hard to maintain a mutually beneficial spirit of cooperation. A large part of the Orange County Sheriff's Academy uniqueness is its blend of discipline and instructor effectiveness. Inside the classroom, instructor competence is high and course materials are evaluated regularly for accuracy. Instructor/academy staff rapport is typically one of mutual appreciation, professionalism and shared goals.

The academy uses 83 instructors to impart 984 hours of instruction over the 25-week academy program. The Orange County Sheriff's Academy exceeds the POST minimum required hours with 320 hours of added instruction. This training covers areas deemed worthy and necessary to develop an excellent result.

Examples of these added hours include cultural diversity, laws of arrest, use of force, crisis intervention, firearms, first aid/CPR, search and seizure, crimes against children, baton training, community relations, domestic disputes, communicating with disabled persons, report writing and physical training. Some portions of this added instruction involve role-playing and scenario training. The academy instructors are carefully blended to impart a cross section of knowledge: 46% are from the Orange County Sheriff's Department, 39% are from other law enforcement agencies, and 15% are from non-law enforcement professions.

The career-level breakdowns of the law enforcement instructors are appropriately wide spread, from technician and line officer to administrator. Instructor education level reflects their commitment. 28% hold graduate degrees, (Doctorates/Masters), 48% hold a BA or BS and 17% hold an AA degree.

Off-facility events are used to enhance the academy program. Some of these highlights include chemical agent training at the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, tactics training at the Orange County Sheriff's Tactical Training Center, Los Angeles Museum of Tolerance, high-speed vehicle training, Westminster and a night in Superior Court with an Orange County Judge, District Attorney and Public Defender where recruits testify to their crime report written subsequent to a crime scenario.

With all this said, one component remains as the crux of the Orange County Sheriff's Academy. This is the discipline philosophy that is strictly adhered to. Most academies have left this format. Since then, a noticeable change in the quality of entry-level police officers has been noted statewide. Very recently agencies have begun to evolve back to this philosophy.  This discipline philosophy, combined with a very strong emphasis on ethics and community oriented policing, continues to make the Orange County Sheriff’s Basic Academy a leader in California peace officer training.

For more information on the Orange County Sheriff's Basic Academy, please call (714) 566-2700.