Twenty-eight recruits from 10 different law enforcement agencies began their first day of training Friday at the North Louisiana Criminal Justice Academy to become certified law enforcement officers.

Class 015 will train for the next 11 ½ weeks to complete the Peace Officers Standards and Training (P.O.S.T.) schedule, a regimen that consists of classes and scenarios to train them to become professional police officers and deputy sheriffs.

The academy, located on Old Plain Dealing Road about halfway between the cities of Benton and Plain Dealing, is hosted by Bossier Sheriff Julian Whittington and the Bossier Sheriff’s Office. The recruits will train on officer survival, active shooter, officer down scenarios, academics and weapons qualifications. The training will also include physical fitness, chemical weapons, legal, defensive tactics, driving, diversity, professionalism and other topics. The academy features a shooting simulator, 30-station firing range, a defense tactics training facility, tiered classrooms and a five-story rappelling tower.

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