Lake Michigan College is moving the start date of its next police academy session to the spring.
The academy, which is held on the college’s Benton Harbor campus, will now begin in March of 2026 after being held during the summer the previous two years. Lake Michigan College Police Academy Director Brad Byerle tells us this is in response to the needs of local police departments.
“I met with my advisory committee this fall, and some of the local departments stressed the need for having their recruits out on the streets sooner than the end of August this year,” Bylerle said. “So we’re trying to meet those needs.”
Byerle says holding the 16-week academy in the spring instead of the summer would have the recruits graduate in early July, making them eligible for service at their departments for at least the busiest part of the summer. He notes all of the academy’s recruits so far have already been employed by a police department seeking to boost its ranks. It’s led to positive results.
“In fact, our last academy, we graduated 13 recruits and all 13 of them passed the licensing exam on their first try. So we had a 100% success rate, something that we really pride ourselves on.”
Byerle says a student doesn’t have to be a part of a police department to enroll in the police academy, but it does help.
As for those interested in exploring a career in law enforcement and thinking about enrolling, Byerle says the best course of action is to take a couple of criminal justice classes and then reach out to a local agency. Many will take a potential recruit on a ride-along.
