City of Midland, TX... Police Department

SUPPORT SERVICES BUREAU

Training

Profile of a Midland Police Employee

	Officer	Civilian Employee
Age	38.97	40.18
Years of Service	10.85	8.88
In-Service Hours, Calendar year 2010	9,269

With the ever present need to develop new skills and polish existing knowledge, our officers and employees spend many hours in the classroom, on the firing line, and on the driving track. As a result of this extensive training program, the 233 members of our department spent 9,269 hours in training in 2010.

The Midland Police Department provides this training through the Midland Police Department Training Division. This Unit is a part of the Support Services Division and consists of one lieutenant, the training coordinator, one range-master, one fitness coordinator and one vital and busy custodian. All of these members are dedicated to providing the members of the department’s staff with the best in training and the best in training facilities.

The unit oversees the M.P.D. Training Facility located at 4214 F.M. 307. The Training Sergeant can be reached at (432) 685-7133.

The Midland Police Department building, located at 601 N. Loraine, houses the Fit for Duty fitness center. This is a well-equipped gym with modern weightlifting and cardio-vascular equipment. The Fitness Coordinator, who is Certified by the Cooper’s Institute, has an office in the gym area. Dressing rooms and whirlpool baths are located in a second story shower area.

Education Status of Midland Police Department Personnel

Master Degree	3%
Bachelor Degree	27%
Associate Degree	24%
Some College	46%

The M.P.D. Training Facility is on approximately 162 acres of land. The site has a 300-yard rifle range, a 50-yard pistol range, a multipurpose firearms training building, a jogging track, an obstacle course, and a training building. The training building provides offices for the lieutenant, the training sergeant and the range-master. This building also houses offices for the Permian Basin Law Enforcement Academy. The building has four classrooms, gun cleaning room, and a new computer classroom with 10 computers. The P.B.L.E.A. built a new 90 x 60 multi purpose building across from the Training Building. The new building is used for Defensive Tactic Training, Impact Weapons Training, etc. This building also has a small workout facility.

A Sworn Officers Training Program
A career as a Midland Police Officer begins with the selection process. Applicants are required to pass written, physical, and psychological tests. If successful, applicants then go through an interview board and a thorough background check. Successful applicants who are not licensed peace officers are assigned to the Permian Basin Law Enforcement Academy to complete the basic law enforcement courses and prepare for the state test for a Basic Law Enforcement License. This basic academy is 16 weeks long and provides 684 classroom hours of instruction.

Permian Basin Law Enforcement Academy Classes

Constitutional Law	Texas Penal Code	Use of Force	Defensive Tactics
Texas Traffic Law	Accident Investigation	Criminal Procedure	Stress Management
Physical Training	History of Policing	Ethics	Arrest, Search, Seizure
Civil Process	Texas Alcohol Beverage Commission	Booking Procedures	Firearms
Protecting the Crime Scene	Driving While Intoxicated	Juvenile and Family Code	Emergency Communications
Driving	Traffic Direction	Victims of Crime	Professional Policing Approaches
Drugs	Multiculturalism/Human Relations	Report Writing	Emergency Medical Assistance
Patrol Procedures	Criminal Investigation	Family Violence	Recognizing Mental Illness
Hazardous Materials	Crowd Management	Problem Solving/Critical Thinking

Annually Departmental Mandated Classes
Each year, the Midland Police Department requires sworn officers to attend mandated classes. The classes are either required by the department or by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Education.

Usually, these are refresher courses such as Weapons Proficiency, Use of Force, Family Violence, Sexual Assaults, Sex Offender Characteristics, Driving Skills, First Aid, Racial Profiling, and Asset Forfeiture. The department knows that skill and knowledge levels drop as time goes by and is very committed to keeping the employee’s skill levels high. Refresher courses provide a means to keep the knowledge up to date and fresh to the employee. This becomes very important when the course deals with motor skills, such as weapons proficiency and driving skills.

Major Schools
Members of our department have the opportunity to attend several major schools. The oldest of these major schools is the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy. This program began in the 1930’s and Midland sent its first attendee in the 1950’s. This internationally acclaimed course is located at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia. The eleven-week course brings students from all over the United States (and selected foreign students) into a premier law enforcement course. Topics studied include Criminal Profiling, Terrorism, Constitutional Law, Forensics, Interpersonal Violence, and Computer Crimes.

The State of Texas also provides a major school, the Texas Leadership and Command College. This 45 day course of study occurs at three different college campuses, Texas A&M, Texas Woman’s University, and Sam Houston State University. Instructors are drawn from the best professors and professionals in the academic world. Completion of the course requires completion of a major term paper. As the name implies, this course is designed to improve the leadership of the Law Enforcement profession. Emphasis is on leadership theory and human relations skills.

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