Colorado sheriff makes big changes to how they train new recruits

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) - The El Paso County Sheriff is making a big change, hoping to increase community safety.

All *new recruits will now get weeks of additional training, so they’re ready to hit the streets as deputies, if necessary.

It’s the second sheriff’s office in the state to require all of their deputies to be up to speed with the police officer standards known as “POST.”

Sheriff Joe Roybal says he is making this change to their training to help with recruitment.

“These recruits will better serve the community and can serve beyond the walls of the jail,” Roybal said.

In years past, some sheriff’s office cadets only went through a scaled back training without the POST requirement, allowing them to only work jobs like in the jail and community security.

That’s not the case anymore.

Roybal said he is also going to open up this new, expanded academy to local police departments including Monument and Woodland Park, allowing their cadets the option to attend the academy for free.

“This will save money in time, and with 23 weeks of training versus 34, this makes more sense,” Roybal added.

If you would like to learn more about becoming a cadet, CLICK HERE

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