Reinhardt College Launches POST-Certified Police Academy in Alpharetta, Ga.

On July 24, 2009, the State of Georgia's Peace Officer Standard and Training Council (POST) designated Reinhardt College's Public Safety Institute academy certification as fulfilling the POST Basic Mandate training of law enforcement officers.  Reinhardt will launch a pilot program with the Alpharetta Department of Public Safety and their volunteer reserve officers beginning in July 2009, and academy classes will start in September 2009.

First Partnership of Its Kind

"This really is a big development," said Reinhardt President Dr. J. Thomas Isherwood.  "We are doing something no one else has done.  This partnership between the College and the state of Georgia marks the first of its kind between a private institution and the state. It opens a new chapter in the history of the College, and we are enthusiastic about addressing the training and educational needs of students seeking careers in law enforcement."

Become certified and earn college credit

Peg O'Connor, the associate vice president for academic affairs at Reinhardt, said the College's Academy, as a new unit of the College's Public Safety Institute, will deliver 404 hours of POST mandate training to students seeking full-time positions as peace officers with area law enforcement agencies. As they become POST certified, academy graduates can also earn 15 credits toward Reinhardt's Associate Degree in Criminal Justice or Bachelor of Arts in Public Safety Management and Leadership.  

Graduates will have an edge in the hiring process

Isherwood said the Reinhardt POST certification will give graduates an edge in the hiring process.  "A student can come to Reinhardt's Police Academy and earn his or her POST certification, complete with fire arms training and the emergency vehicle operations course.  Then the Reinhardt Police Academy graduate can go to a law enforcement entity to be hired as a certified officer," Isherwood said.

Isherwood expects Reinhardt to become a "one stop shop" for law enforcement and other first responders in the future.  Now students can choose the POST training, then transition to an associate degree in criminal justice and then a bachelor of arts in public safety management and leadership, he said. Future plans include developing a completely online associate degree in criminal justice and a master's degree in homeland security.

Experienced personnel at the helm

O'Connor expects a good deal of interest in the academy based on feedback from area law enforcement agencies. "We are truly blessed to have John Ballard as the acting director of Reinhardt's Police Academy," she said.  "He has a master's degree.  He's a retired captain from the Alpharetta Department of Public Safety and can draw for several decades of experience in law enforcement." 

Call or E-mail Now for Information

Interested students are encouraged to contact Reinhardt at 770-720-9191, by e-mail at JWB@reinhardt.edu or in person at the College's North Fulton Center, 4100 Old Milton Parkway, Alpharetta, GA 30005.

The Police Academy will be located at the College's North Fulton Center on Old Milton Parkway in Alpharetta.