All Bossier Parish Sheriff's Training Academy (BPSTA) instructors are POST certified. Our adjunct instructors have both experience and academic credentials that benefit their instructional efforts. The legal training is led by Judge Harmon Drew and Jean Talley Drew, recently retired from the Louisiana's Second Circuit Court of Appeal. The BPSTA fully covers all POST basic requirements and incorporates a myriad of additional elective subjects which serve today's law enforcement officers well. They are as follows:  Bomb and Homemade Explosives Awareness taught by the LSP; Conflict De-escalation Skills; Cover and Maneuver Tactics, Techniques and Procedures; K-9 Unit Orientation; "Looking Beyond the Ticket" taught by the Louisiana State Police; Vehicle Physical Inspection Certification taught by the LSP; National Incident Management System (NIMS); Standardized Field Sobriety Test (SFST)Certification; Intoxilyzer 9000 Certification, Below 100, Life Air Rescue Ground School, Radar/Lidar Certification, and Dealing with the Armed Public.

The BPSTA facility has the following: tiered classrooms with state-of-the-art audio/visual technology; ¼ mile running track; obstacle course; 30-station firing range; five-story rappelling tower, separate defensive tactics/physcial training area; chemical agent chamber; and dormitory housing for out of area officers.  See the Academy Facilities in the Photo Album.

Physical training is an important component of the academy, but it is constructive and incrementally designed. A physical fitness entry requirement of 10% of the Cooper Scale for push-ups, sit-ups, and 1.5 mile run is required for all Academy applicants. Recruits must attain a 20% score to successfully graduate.  Clear here to see how the test is conducted and evaluated.  All students (including POST refreshers) must be medically evaluated before participating in physical and defensive tactics training. The physical fitness assessment for Class #027 will be conducted on July 15, 2022 at 0900 at the academy.  The re-test date is July 22, 2022 at 0900.

The BPSTA provides .40 caliber/9 mm and shotgun ammunition for training. All other caliber ammunition must be provided by the students' sponsoring agencies. A minimum of 2500 rounds are required. Academy uniform T-shirts and ball cap are provided. Recruits must bring their own lunches daily, if they choose.  Refrigerators, freezers. and microwave ovens are available.  Click the BPSTA Class 028 Announcement.docx for more details concerning what students will need in order to be prepared for training and answers to frequently asked questions

The tuition is $1100.00. The dormitory is available for POST Basic Course Students. See the Dormitory Information page for fees and details.