Colorado Community College System (CCCS) was given the opportunity to reshape law enforcement cadet training programs in our state when a $1 Million Grant from The Colorado Health Foundation to the System was announced in December of last year.
Many of Colorado’s law enforcement officers are first trained to do their jobs at community colleges around the state, which puts CCCS in a key position to reshape law enforcement training and better prepare future officers to serve and protect all members of Colorado’s diverse communities. As, Landon Pirius, Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs, described to KUNC’s Henry Zimmerman on Colorado Edition last week.
Clip from: Colorado Edition: Letting The Days Go By
CCCS will implement a three-year plan to infuse racial justice, diversity, implicit bias, and de-escalation into our academies.
Year 1: Infuse ethics and anti-bias policing into the curriculum and graduation requirement.
Year 2: Innovate a new approach to how concepts of racial justice, diversity, implicit bias, and de-escalation are taught in each course.
Year 3: Create continuing education experiences for existing law enforcement officers around the state.
The redesigned curriculum is expected to be offered in 2022 to cadets and the new training for officers will be available in 2023.