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Our keystone philosophy is to serve the law
enforcement and firefighting professions in California by
providing the highest possible quality of training consistent
with available resources. Our multi-faceted mission is to offer a
variety of courses addressing the training needs of in-service
officers as well as persons aspiring to enter these professions.
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Our primary strengths are (1) the high quality of instructional and support staff; (2) the tremendous support received from the college; and (3) very supportive and participative Advisory Committees.
Members of the Law Enforcement Advisory Board include Sheriff Ken Marvin of Kings County (Board Chairman), Sheriff Bill Wittman of Tulare County, Chief Roger Hill of the City of Tulare (Vice Chairman), Chief Brian DeCuir, City of Hanford, Chief Jerry Barker, City of Visalia, Chief Silver Rodriguez, City of Porterville, Phil Cline, District Attorney of Tulare County, Dr. Rosa Carlson, Vice President of Instruction, and Dr. Kamiran Badrkhan, Superintendent/President of the college. This group meets regularly to consider issues and proposals as well as to provide material and personnel support for the Law Enforcement Training Program.
The Fire Technology Program receives vital
guidance and support from the Tulare and Kings Counties Fire
Training Officers' Associational. They meet regularly to discuss
their departments' training needs and work with the college to
plan and schedule courses.
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HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: -- LAW ENFORCEMENT PROGRAM
The Tulare-Kings Counties Law Enforcement Training Program began operations in 1962 in a shared venture with the Tulare County Sheriff's Department in Visalia, California. Police Academy classes were held in the basement of the Sheriff's Headquarters. The Undersheriff was the academy commander; while day-to-day supervision of the course was performed by the departmental training sergeant. The classes were made up predominantly of Sheriff's Department recruits. However, most other law enforcement agencies in the region immediately began sending recruits to the academy course and providing instructors from among their own sworn personnel.
At the same time, a variety of in-service training courses was offered at the neighboring College of the Sequoias campus. These efforts eventually resulted in the formation of the Criminal Justice Instructional Department within the college. An interesting sidelight is that agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) were often retained as instructors until roughly 1977.
In 1973, College of the Sequoias agreed to take complete responsibility for managing, staffing, and funding the basic police academy course. This transfer involved moving the Basic Academic Course site to the 700 Building at the main campus, where it remains to this day. Since its inception, the COS Academy has trained over 3,000 law enforcement officer candidates, many of whom still serve. Most law enforcement chief executives, command officers, and line personnel in the area are graduates of this academy. Although Tulare and Kings Counties are pleasantly set apart from the megalopolis urban areas of California, a great deal of exemplary police work has occurred here--much of it done by our graduates.
In 1967, the training officers and chiefs of the fire department of Kings and Tulare Counties formed an association to collaborate in meeting their agencies' training needs. In the years since, this group has worked with College of the Sequoias to present the fire academy and all courses leading to a two-tear degree.
The Fire Technology courses have become increasingly popular as career fire firefighters as well as those aspiring to this profession have become aware of the importance of continuing their educations.
The Fire Academy, as well as most of the other
Fire Technology courses, can be taken on evenings and some
Saturdays. For Further Information about the Fire Academy and other Fire
Technology courses, phone William Trowbridge at (559) 737-6215 or
e-mail: williamt@cos.edu
College of the Sequoias is located within Visalia, a city in the geographic center of the Great Central (San Joaquin) Valley of California. Visalia is 185 miles north of Los Angeles and 225 miles south of San Francisco. The combination of urban and rural living, maintenance of a small town atmosphere, and affordable housing make this region an excellent community for law enforcement professionals to live, work, and raise a family.
Although the district enjoys a thriving retail and professional sector, Tulare County is the second most productive agricultural area in the nation. The annual Tulare County Farm Show is the largest of its kind in the world. Much of the area's agricultural success is due to the long summers and rich soil. Abundant watershed comes from the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range which runs along the east side of the valley. Summers are hot with occasional rain. Winters are cool and wet, but generally free of snow.
In addition to access to the Giant Sequoias, residents of the district enjoy nearby Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks as well as two large lakes (Kaweah and Success) for boating and fishing. Over the last fifteen years, the population of Tulare and Kings Counties has increased by almost fifty percent. The two counties now accommodate populations of 350,000 and 114,000 respectively. While housing costs in northern and southern California remain high, the Central valley is still quite affordable. The average sales price for a home in the district in 1997 was $140,000.
Students traveling in from outside the Tulare
and Kings Counties area will find adequate apartment and motel
availabilities. Living expenses--and certainly real estate--are
lower than in the more populous areas of the state. Most people
living here have a strong loyalty to the area. Law enforcement
career prospects in this area are excellent with several larger
departments embarking upon a significant growth programs.
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Tulare-Kings Counties
Public Safety Training Center
915 South Mooney Boulevard
Visalia, CA 93277