SWIC Police Academy - Southwestern Illinois College

Full- Time Academy — Seats Available for Hired Officers!

Call 618.222.5396

The Southwestern Illinois Police Academy (SWIPA) 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 the 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 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.

Certification Pass Rate

SWIC Police Academy Full Time State BLE Certification Exam Passage Rate.

The SWIC Police Academy is one of seven certified police academies in the State of Illinois. The SWIC Police Academy is certified by the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board. The 5 year (2019-2023) passage rate for the State BLE Certification Exam is 100%.

Contact information:

General Office Contact Information

618-222-5396
Fax: 618-236-1094
Address: 2300 West Main Street, Belleville, IL 62226

Eric Danford: Director

Direct Line: 618-222-5265 eric.danford@swic.edu

Brandon Dugger: Deputy Director

Direct Line: 618-641-4912 brandon.dugger@swic.edu

Scott Thompson: Training Coordinator 

Direct Line: 618-222-5507 christopher.thompson@swic.edu

Dan Wunder: Training Coordinator

Direct Line: 618-641-5176 dan.wunder@swic.edu

Shannon Meier:  Administrative Assistant

Direct Line: 618-222-5506 shannon.meier@swic.edu

Katie Carlton: Administrative Assistant

Direct Line: 618-222-5396 kathryn.carlton@swic.edu

State Regulatory Requirements

Meets Requirements in

This program MEETS the State educational requirements for licensure, certification or registry in: Illinois

Does not Meet Requirements in

This program DOES NOT MEET the State educational requirements for licensure, certification or registry in: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, American Samoa, District of Columbia, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Marshall Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands

Changes?

Changes from Prior Year: N/A