The Beginning . . .
In October of 2001, the Louisiana Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Council gave the all-clear for the Sheriff's training facility to begin operating as the Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office Regional Training Academy. That meant the Sheriff's Office could provide basic training for its recruits and those from any other agency in the northwest, 10-parish region.

The Journey . . .
Becoming a regional academy was no easy task. POST officials inspected the Caddo facility's guidelines, curriculum, building and instructors' credentials before making the designation. Lesson plans for the 320-hour curriculum were written from scratch.

The New Beginning . . .
"Once we were approved, our focus changed from being an agency training division to becoming a regional training academy," said Caddo Parish Sheriff Steve Prator. "Peace officers begin to develop their disposition toward policing on the first day they walk into the classroom. I expect a lot from those who wear the badge, and when they leave our academy, I will know they have been exposed to the very best law enforcement has to offer."