Nederland Police Department offers future officers free training from LIT

5/14/2019

Beaumont –The Nederland Police Department announced that it will pay for training at Lamar Institute of Technology’s Regional Police Academy for four future officers. The announcement came via the Associated Press on the heels of LIT’s posting dates for entrance exams starting in June.

The city council approved an amendment to the city’s wage plan to pay cadets while they attend training at LIT.
City Manager Christopher Duque said, “The police department has four vacant police officer positions. Staff has attempted to fill these positions as quickly as possible with minimal success.”

The police cadets would be paid $17.50 an hour that would increase to at least, nearly $26.50 an hour when they complete training and become full-time officers. The cadets would have to commit to serving two years there. Smaller police departments can enhance their desirability by enticing candidates with special perks like this.

The additional cost Nederland will absorb is for the training, which LIT Regional Police Academy Director Jimmy LeBoeuf said is about $4,500 to $5,000 per cadet. Duque said the added expense to Nederland is only part of the training that the Southeast Texas Regional Planning Commission (SETRPC) doesn’t cover.

LeBoeuf said the training takes about 18 weeks, and approximately 22 cadets are enrolled each semester. He added that half of those cadets are sponsored by law enforcement agencies. Sponsoring cadets is becoming more popular with an increasing nationwide police officer shortage. LeBoeuf also said many potential officers are disqualifying themselves between the ages of 18 and 21, when they can actually attend the academy.

LIT’s Police Academy entrance exam dates are June 12 and 26, July 11 and 25, and Sept. 3-6. For more information, those interested may contact policeacademy@lit.edu or call 409-880-8022 or 409-880-8671.