Mission and Goals

Mission

The mission of the Allegheny County Police Training Academy is to provide the most up to date and diversified, quality instruction for recruit and veteran police officers.

Goals

  • Comply with all requirements and mandates of the Municipal Police Officer's Education and Training Commission (MPOETC)
  • Review and evaluate suggestions made by the Academy Advisory Board and other law enforcement sources
  • Maintain and seek out the highest quality instructors, in their respective fields, to conduct our training endeavors
  • Ensure the facility provides a safe and conducive environment for learning
  • Network a more positive image to promote increased enrollment in basic recruit and advanced training
  • Expand and enhance firing range facilities, to include more challenging and practical live fire scenarios
  • Reduce operating costs through better accountability and management
  • To more efficiently utilize existing facilities to accommodate classroom instruction
  • Obtain a high standard of efficiency through economy of management and utilization of other financial resources

History

In the late 1960s, Allegheny County Commissioners began working on a plan to construct and equip a joint police and fire training academy to professionalize police and fire services in Allegheny County and the surrounding region. A 51-acre tract of land located in Allegheny County’s North Park was selected as the location for the police and fire training academy.

On September 25, 1970, a groundbreaking ceremony was held and 13-months later, in October 1971, the Allegheny County Police and Fire Training Academy complex was dedicated. The first police officer training class began on January 17, 1972.

The Allegheny County Police Training Academy provides Municipal Police Officers’ Training Act (ACT 120) approved basic recruit training and other mandatory and elective training to thousands of police officers on a yearly basis. 

The police academy conducts two basic recruit classes yearly, one starting in January and graduating in June, and one starting in July and graduating in Decembers. The current Municipal Police Officers’ Education and Training Commission (MPOETC) curriculum for recruit training is 919 hours. The Police Academy has graduated more than 125 basic recruit classes to date.

The Police Academy is led by a director, who is responsible for providing collaborative and professional police training and education to law enforcement in Allegheny County. The Police Academy directors are listed below:

  • James Slusser (1972-1980)
  • James E. Treher (1980-1983)
  • William C. Schorner (1983-1986)
  • Robert J. Coll, Jr. (1986-1995)
  • Thomas Sturgeon (1995-1996)
  • Norbert Kowalski (1996-2000)
  • Kenneth Fulton (2000)
  • Burt Cifrulak (2000-2001)
  • Wayne Gaffron (2001-2018)
  • Richard Mullen (2018)
  • Robert Synan (2018-2023)
  • Brett Whittenberger (2023-present)
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