Police Training Academy

The Anne Arundel County Police Academy was established in January 1976. The Academy is located in Davidsonville, Maryland. It is an integral part of the Department providing instruction in recruit, in-service, cadet, and specialized training. The Academy consists of 12 Staff members that are highly trained and dedicated officers with expertise in all facets of police work. The Academy staff serves the training needs of 666 sworn police officers and the civilian support personnel for the Anne Arundel County Police Department. The Academy also provides instruction to other Anne Arundel County law enforcement agencies and provides assistance to various federal law enforcement agencies when requested. The Academy currently hosts one to two recruit officer classes a year involving six months of intense classroom and physical training. The recruit officers learn many aspects of law enforcement such as criminal law, constitutional law, first responder, defensive tactics, emergency vehicle operations, and firearms.

The Anne Arundel County Police Academy is certified by the Maryland Police and Correctional Training Commission. MPCTC requires that officers accurately complete over 500 mandates to become certified as a police officer in the state of Maryland. After completion of the six month Academy, officers are required by the MPCTC to complete 18 hours of ongoing education and firearms training annually. Specialized training is offered throughout the year, providing our agency, as well as others, with innovative and worthwhile programs.

In 1998, the Training Academy added a new state-of-the-art firearms range. The range is semi-enclosed to provide protection from the weather. It features many safety provisions as well as excellent training features. The firearms range has a containment system that allows for the safe retrieval and containment of both lead bullets and lead dust particles that may be present during training. It consists of 20 turning targets that can be operated in pairs or together. It also has two running man targets and a variable lighting system to simulate different lighting conditions. The range assists in preparing our officers for real life situations that they may encounter and helps to provide them with the best firearms training possible.

The Training Academy further serves the needs of our citizens and fellow law enforcement professionals through the use of our facility. We currently host an annual 13-week "Citizen’s Police Academy." The Citizen’s Police Academy allows for twenty-five members of our communities to learn the basics of law enforcement work. This program has proven to be a success, forming a greater trust with those that we serve.

It is the goal of the Anne Arundel County Police Academy to train the best police officers and support personnel to better serve the citizens of Anne Arundel County. The professionalism and dedication to this goal is the key to our success.