The Southwestern Illinois Police Academy is a multi-faceted training facility that utilizes a combination of academia and practitioners to deliver a well-rounded law enforcement- based foundation of education. The end result of a 14-week training program is a state certified individual capable of performing at the entry level requirements of any local or county law enforcement agency in the state of Illinois. The basic training course includes all aspects of entry level law enforcement training to include strengthening good foundations of ethics, examining legal issues, citizen interaction, community oriented policing, investigative skills, state of the art firearms training and defensive tactics. The academy offers basic training for full-time and part-time police officers.

Since its inception in 1971, the Southwestern Illinois Police Academy (SWIPA) graduates have been among the highest scoring state certification test score averages in the state.

We at SWIPA feel that our interactive classroom and use of instructors who are practitioners of the trade, facilitate learning and develop close relationships between recruits and modern day law enforcers. We consistently gather input from our client agency’s field training officers in an effort to ensure that the academy end product is meeting the needs of those agencies as well as satisfying state requirements. Virtually all of our staff have received training in instructor development and we ensure that the delivery of education is comprehensive and adaptable to each student. Lesson plans are updated on a timely basis to ensure delivery of current practices and legal applications. Practical exercises are incorporated throughout the sessions to provide hands-on application of learning and review of prior teachings.

We are proud of our facility and staff and receive a significant amount of support from our sponsoring institution, Southwestern Illinois College. We believe in providing equal opportunities of learning for all those who attend this facility and feel that we can instill the core values of law enforcement: Knowledge, Honor, and Integrity.