Indianapolis (IN) Metropolitan Police Department

The Challenge

Like many departments, training officers more efficiently was a major priority for the IMPD, said James Cleek, IMPD training commander.

Cleek’s primary motivation in looking for an online training solution was to ensure all personnel completed 8 of 24 hours of mandatory training on the platform. He also needed a better way to quickly distribute general orders across department personnel.

Another concern was the rising costs associated with training. Cleek said it was essential to find a way to provide officers with education and training options that could reduce time and fuel costs associated with traveling to and from training centers. He also wanted to reduce overtime costs resulting from training.

The department could reallocate the cost savings for other needs, such as purchasing new equipment.

The Solution

IMPD turned to PoliceOne Academy to develop a customized training program that could address their goals, including having a training platform available to officers 24/7 accessible from any location and mobile device.

PoliceOne Academy, which is certified or accepted for training credit in 37 states, offers convenient, affordable online law enforcement training with more than 1,100 HD training videos and 375 courses. PoliceOne Academy courses can be used to fulfill all 24 hours of Indiana Law Enforcement Academy annual training requirements.

IMPD uses the Academy for several courses, including topics such as:
• Active Shooter
• Distracted Driving
• Officer Safety
• Response to Mental Illness

Cleek said the department worked closely with PoliceOne Academy experts to use the custom course builder tool for offline training to record and track use of force training.

The agency also used the Academy to create and distribute time-sensitive training on Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance to meet a legal requirement. Supervisors at the department had 30 days to complete the training and achieved compliance in just 10 days. Cleek said the system’s ease of use and seamless deployment to IMPD’s personnel were the main drivers in accomplishing those results.

“The platform not only provided readily accessible training, it also provided a tool by which we could quickly communicate new general orders and design our own training in a system our officers could use around the clock,” Cleek said. “PoliceOne Academy is now the only system we use for sending out all new or amended general orders.”

Cleek added that PoliceOne Academy is user-friendly, built with the officer in mind and features course content relevant to what officers face in the field.

He also praised the highly responsive customer service and support team of PoliceOne Academy in helping IMPD get up and running quickly.

The Results

IMPD quickly realized the many benefits of choosing PoliceOne Academy’s online training platform to keep officers trained and informed of department messages, policies and lessons. Cleek said the Academy platform was well received by officers, as they could access their training assignments from any device and at times most convenient to them. “Since it is online, they can work with the system from any location, 24/7,” he said.

Cleek noted that within a year of using the learning management system, IMPD recorded more than 50,000 training hours, including online course completions and offline training hours documented.

The Academy platform lets administrators set customizable deadlines and notifications for all assignments. Cleek found this helpful, as it allowed him to set two-week periods for each course and meet his goal of getting the training done right, but also quickly.

“The deadline created a sense of urgency and as a result, officers completed the courses on time or before deadline,” Cleek said.

Cleek also appreciated the ability to quickly provide courses on scenarios relevant to current events. “We are able to respond to ‘happening now’ issues by assigning courses on topics like ambush or active shooter,” he said.

The Academy also removed duplication of efforts and streamlined the process, since all incomplete and completed courses can be tracked and monitored, Cleek added.

Finally, IMPD uses PoliceOne Academy to train its recruits during their required one-year training, 28 weeks of which is in the classroom. PoliceOne Academy allows the IMPD to designate pre-assignments for each recruiting class and track completion.

To stay well-trained and to quickly get back up to speed, Cleek also uses PoliceOne Academy for officers who returned to duty from military deployment, sickness or injury.

PoliceOne Academy has provided IMPD with significant costs savings through lower fuel costs, reduced overtime, reallocated service hours and reduced brick-and-mortar costs associated with in-person training. Cleek estimated the department saved over $100,000 in the first year, a total that could be much higher since it “doesn’t account for fuel saved or overtime.”