Vermont Police Academy details 17-week basic training, testing updates and grooming accommodations

The Vermont Police Academy told the Senate Committee on Government Operations on Thursday that its full‑time basic class runs 17 weeks and that the Vermont Criminal Justice Council is preparing to adopt a new entrance test and expanded training on fair-and-impartial policing.

Christopher Burkell, executive director of the Vermont Criminal Justice Council, told senators the current basic class is “in week 1 of their training of 17 weeks.” He said the council’s basic curriculum amounts to roughly 900 hours overall, noting that figure does not include in‑service training after recruits return to their agencies.

Ken Hawkins, director of training at the Vermont Police Academy, said the academy is moving from counting hours to demonstrating competencies and described the classroom-to-scenario structure the academy uses. “We’re trying to get more towards building officers that are able to show through both the academic, but more so from the hands on and the scenarios,” Hawkins told the committee, adding that recruits then enter agency-run field training programs after the academy.

Why it matters: The session addressed how the academy prepares officers for responsibilities the public increasingly expects them to handle — from mental health and substance‑use interactions to culturally sensitive encounters — and how the academy balances safety, uniform standards and religious or cultural accommodations.

Class size, composition and orientation Christopher Burkell said…