Is all police academy training created equally? Comparing natural resource officer and general police academy training

Abstract

American policing is characterised by variety, including numerous specialty police departments. One specialty grouping are police tasked with environmental protection. Known as natural resources officers (NROs), little research has examined the academy training that these officers receive. Drawing upon a survey of almost 600 police training academies, the current inquiry explores curriculum differences between NRO-capable and general police academies. Findings indicate that NRO-equipped academies consist of fewer overall hours of training, are more likely to include instruction in marine patrol techniques, and do not differ on hours of training on traffic law enforcement. Implications for future research are discussed.