Parma - Cuyahoga Community College has moved a portion of its Police Academy training online after becoming the first Ohio program approved for remote instruction during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Sixteen topics within the academy’s state-guided curriculum can be covered through online lectures, said Jamie Tavano, interim director of the KeyBank Public Safety Training Center at Tri-C. Online lectures began this week.
The topics cover about 50 hours of instruction — just a fraction of the 750 hours required of cadets. Tavano said the goal is to inch cadets closer to completion for when on-site training restarts at the training center at Western Campus in Parma.
In March, after consultation with state officials, the College suspended in-person classes to limit the spread of COVID-19 through the community.
Tavano said it’s vital that cadets continue making progress given the critical need for first responders. The College acted immediately to adopt online lectures after the Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission offered the option.
“We’ve got things to do,” Tavano said. “This is an important field that we’re in. We don’t just stop. We find ways to keep going.”
Cadets are required to sign in to classes multiple times per day to ensure attendance and the integrity of the instruction. State inspectors will conduct spot checks online to verify cadet attendance.
Topics being covered through online lectures include vehicle theft and identification, intro to traffic, tracing stolen property, gang awareness and others.
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