Aims police academy cadets in tactical gear during a training session

Peace Officer Academy

Earn a Peace Officer Academy Certificate at Aims

Are you interested in a challenging and rewarding career in law enforcement that can make a positive impact in your community? With excellent pay and benefits and police departments and other agencies in great need of new recruits, now is the time to start your career in this field.

The Aims Peace Officer Academy Certificate program gives you the expert training to become a police officer at one of the lowest tuition rates in Colorado. The academy will also prepare you to take the Colorado Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) exam, which is required in order to work as a police officer. In addition to offering skills-based training, the Aims police academy training is academically rigorous, with high expectations for students. 

During the three-year period between 2018 and 2020, an average of 94.95% Aims students passed the POST exam on the first try. During that same time period, 100% of Aims students ultimately passed the exam on subsequent attempts.

The academy is located at the state-of-the-art Aims Public Safety Institute (PSI) on the Windsor Campus. A new “simulation city” is slated to open in the spring of 2024. A collaborative effort between the Aims fire, EMS and police programs, the simulation city will include several buildings with a traffic intersection. This new feature will be the only one like it in the region, allowing you to practice arrest control and other police training exercises in realistic scenarios.

The Aims Peace Officer Academy has full- and part-time options available and is open to applicants who are sponsored by a department as well as those who are non-sponsored.

Are you ready to take the next step toward starting an exciting career in law enforcement? 

See Basic Peace Officer Academy Certificate Requirements

Turn Your Desire to Help Others into a Rewarding Career

Aims Peace Officer Academy instructor Clay Fuller talks about the challenges and triumphs of the police academy experience.
Watch Aims graduate Megan Moore talk about her time at Aims Community College and her journey through the Police Academy program.

Gain the Skills You Need to Become a Police Officer

Much of the curriculum of the Aims Peace Officer Academy is regulated and required by the Colorado POST board. Aims takes these requirements a step further and offers additional hours beyond the minimum requirements to ensure you get the police training you need to become a police officer.

Skills you will learn in the Aims Peace Officer Academy include:

  • Arrest control
  • Traffic stops
  • Firearms
  • Driving
  • Writing tickets and reports
  • Obtaining search warrants
  • Building and vehicle searches
  • Collecting evidence
  • Community engagement
  • Preparation for POST certification in Colorado

Arrest control, firearms and driving training will take place over nine weeks at the Flatrock Regional Training Facility in Adams County. 

In addition to POST skills training, you’ll study the effects of stress and trauma in the field and learn how to deal with things that you’ll experience on the job. Throughout the academy experience, you’ll also receive training on working with people from other cultures and subcultures, people with disabilities and people with mental health issues, with an emphasis on communication and de-escalation of stressful situations.

You’ll run through multiple scenarios taught by instructors with experience in the field, including current and former police officers, psychologists, district attorneys and judges. Guest instructors from local, state and federal law enforcement agencies will teach you how their agency writes citations and fulfills procedural requirements such as obtaining warrants.

Because they know from experience that not everyone learns in the same way, the full-time instructors at the Aims Peace Officer Academy follow an active learning approach to teaching. This includes having students teach classes, holding online discussions and guiding progressive skill building with support as needed. 

The full-time police academy at Aims runs for approximately 16 weeks, with skills training on nights and weekends as needed. You’ll get to take the POST exam within days of graduating from the academy. If you’re employed full-time, Aims offers a part-time police academy option with evening classes. In two semesters, you’ll take 15-20 hours of classes on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and all day on Saturdays with occasional Sunday sessions.

During my field training days as a police officer, my field trainer complimented me numerous times on my officer safety. That’s a big piece of our job, and Aims prepared me extremely well for that.

Megan Moore
Patrol Officer, Eaton P.D. and Aims Peace Officer Academy Graduate
Aims alum Megan Moore, a uniformed police officer, talks about the positive experience in the Aims Peace Officer Academy
Read the Alumni Spotlight on Megan Moore

Earn an Associate Degree in Police Studies at Aims

Many police departments and agencies are now seeking candidates with academic degrees. After attending the Aims Peace Officer Academy, you can go on to earn a two-year police studies or criminal justice degree at Aims. The academy is a prerequisite for the police studies associate degree program, and your credit hours will count toward your associate degree.

If you want to take your education further, the Aims police officer degree transfers to CSU Global, where you can go on to earn a bachelor’s or master’s degree in criminal justice. 

Careers in Policing

As you advance in your career, there are a wide array of fields and positions you can pursue, including: 

  • Uniformed officer
  • District attorney investigator
  • Detective
  • Fraud investigator
  • K-12 educator
  • School security officer
  • Insurance investigator
  • Private consultant
  • Emergency management consultant
  • Disaster preparedness and response leader
  • Police academy instructor
  • SWAT team member
  • Hostage negotiator
  • Search and rescue lead

To assist with job placement, the Aims police academy program offers recruitment opportunities for non-sponsored students. Agencies reach out to the program director toward the end of each academy to come to Aims and talk with cadets.

Peace Officer Academy Faculty and Staff

The Aims Peace Officer Academy faculty have law enforcement experience and are dedicated to student success. Faculty actively recruit specialized instructors who have deep field experience. Many of these instructors currently work in law enforcement, so you’ll have ample opportunities to learn about multiple departments and agencies. Part-time instructors include current and former law enforcement staff from multiple organizations, judges, district attorneys, and psychologists. 

  • Clay Fuller

    Clay Fuller

    Lead Police Academy Instructor
  • Brian Mix Headshot

    Brian Mix

    Program Coordinator II, Criminal Justice & Police Academy

Next Steps

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Degree at a Glance

Degree Type

Career & Technical Degree

Location

Windsor Campus

Credits

34

Tuition*

Full-Time Peace Officer Academy
Equipment & Fees:
Uniform
$200
Textbooks
$250
Equipment
$2,315
POST Test
$150
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Tuition:
In-District
$3,453
Out-of-District
$4,881
WUE
$6,952
Out of State
$16,204

*Check Cashier's Office for current tuition rates

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