Welcome to the Iowa Department of Public Safety
Training and Recruitment Bureau
Officer Testimonials With ILEA Certification

The Iowa Department of Public Safety prides itself on continually providing the citizens of Iowa with the highest caliber peace officers. Pursuant to the Code of Iowa, all newly hired peace officers for the Iowa Department of Public Safety must attend a training academy approved by the Commissioner of Public Safety.  This includes prior law enforcement officers and those with Iowa Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA) certification.

The Iowa Dept. of Public Safety has previously offered an academy designed specifically for officers with ILEA certification.  This academy was 12 weeks in duration and concentrated on basic law enforcement knowledge review and advanced training.  We continue to have a desire to offer this accelerated training program.  In order to plan and execute this training program, a minimum of fifteen ILEA certified candidates must be selected.  Over the past three years, we have hired fewer than seven ILEA certified officers for our academy classes.  As a result, those officers choose to complete the 20-week training program. 

We continue to seek experienced law enforcement officers and sincerely hope you will take the time to read the testimonials below from Lieutenant Rob Hansen, Trooper Mark Gent, Special Agent Jaclyn Rich and Trooper Jeremy Schaffer.

There are several officers within the ranks of the Iowa Department of Public Safety who have had the opportunity to attend both the ILEA Academy and the DPS Academy. Here is what a few of them had to say:

Lieutenant Robert Hansen
Academy Commander

"If you dream of working as a Special Agent, Fire Inspector or State Trooper, please take the time to learn more about DPS and specifically our training academy.  We are proud of our training program and history of preparing officers for the challenges of a career in law enforcement.  With great confidence, I can assure you our training program will provide learning experiences for every new DPS officer, regardless of your previous experience." 

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Trooper Mark C. Gent
Iowa State Patrol

“I attended the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy’s (I.L.E.A.) 182nd basic class. Following graduation I served the University of Iowa’s Department of Public Safety for four years. In 2004 I accepted a deputy position at the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and served the county of Washington for two years. In 2006 I applied for the Iowa Dept. of Public Safety (D.P.S.), was accepted and attended the 32nd basic academy at the age of 36. The training I received was second to none and continued after employment. Even in familiar areas I learned something or relearned what I had forgotten.

I successfully completed the academy and continue my employment as a Trooper II in Post 13. When I went to Post 13 I was welcomed into a family. A feeling I had not experienced with the other agencies I had worked for. We have Post days where every Trooper and their families get together socially.

The pre-certified officer who expects more from their department and themselves, who is willing to give 110% toward what they believe an agency should be, and who appreciates room to explore other areas of law enforcement should apply without hesitation.

Just remember, you can do anything for 20 weeks and the rewards are endless.”

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Trooper Jeremy Schaffer
Iowa State Patrol  

“I was hired as a Trooper II with the Iowa State Patrol in May of 2007 and attended the 33rd Basic DPS Academy. Prior to be hired by the Iowa State Patrol I was a Patrolman for the Creston, IA Police Department for 2 years and I was certified by the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy.

After having attended both academies I can say there are differences in the training provided to the future Officers. The academy at ILEA provides the basic knowledge an Officer needs to function on duty, however during my time in the DPS academy we were being trained not only to the minimum standards but also to a higher level where a newly graduated DPS Trooper or Agent could operate independently from any supervision and in most cases take charge of difficult situations by him or herself.

The atmosphere of the DPS academy is structured to give the Trooper/Agent the confidence and ability to work alone but also to become apart of a team when needed to accomplish the task at hand.

The firearms training program is far superior to that offered by ILEA. From early on in the academy recruits receive many hours of instruction in basic marksmanship, weapons handling and maintenance before ever heading to the range. There are numerous instructors during each training session, each of them with current real world experience.

The Physical Training Program is also more productive than that of ILEA. The instructors not only help you achieve a higher level of physical fitness but you are instructed by a medical doctor on the importance of staying active and healthy throughout your career. This program consists of not just running but weight training and many individual workouts.

The Academic Program is excellent at the DPS academy, the majority of the instructors are Troopers/Agents who work the streets everyday themselves and are very knowledgeable in the topic they teach.

Joining the DPS and becoming a Trooper was a hardship for me but well worth the effort. I personally am a more confident and knowledgeable Officer than before I attended the DPS academy.”

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Special Agent Jaclyn Rich
Division of Criminal Investigation

“I was hired as a Special Agent I with the DCI in May 2007 and attended the 33rd Basic DPS Academy. Prior to being hired by the DPS, I was a patrol officer with the Coralville Police Department for seven years and attended ILEA.

There were several notable differences between ILEA and the DPS Academy. The training at ILEA was a good, but very basic foundation to begin learning how to be a law enforcement officer.

In my opinion, the DPS Academy is more effective than ILEA in several areas of instruction. First, the Firearms Program is excellent. Trooper Rozendaal and the other firearms instructors did an outstanding job of teaching the best way to use your duty weapon. Unlike ILEA, which was approximately two weeks of instruction when I was there, we began familiarization with our duty weapons early in the DPS Academy, spending time every week drawing, practicing magazine exchanges and stoppages, and doing “dry drills”. We didn’t fire our weapons until three months into the Academy, but, by that time, every recruit had several hours of practice time with their weapon behind them.

Two other areas of instruction that the DPS Academy excels in are Defensive Tactics and Physical Training. Defensive Tactics Lead Instructor Gil Hansen and his program at ILEA are excellent. Lead Instructor Hansen is well-known as the best at what he does, and he was present on several occasions at the DPS Academy’s Defensive Tactics classes.

One major difference between the Academies was the use of realistic training scenarios that incorporated Defensive Tactics in traffic stop training as well as tactical operations training. The week of tactical operations training at the DPS Academy was probably the best training of that kind that I’ve ever had. In any kind of physical training in law enforcement, it is difficult to train hard but avoid injury. In my opinion, the DPS’ training programs did an excellent job in this area.

Academically, the DPS Academy is very good, as well. For those without prior law enforcement experience, it appeared to me to be more difficult than ILEA. In addition to the requirements set by ILEA, the instruction the DPS Academy provides is above and beyond what officers get at ILEA.

Officers with prior law enforcement experience have a slight advantage academically over those recruits without previous experience. This is not to say, however, that the DPS Academy is easy academically for officers with prior experience. The law is constantly evolving, and I learned a lot in classes provided at the Academy.

The instructors that teach at the DPS Academy are generally not full-time instructors. Instead, they are Troopers and Agents that take time to teach recruits in addition to their regular duties. These instructors are some of the best in the State at the topic they are instructing and are able to put the knowledge that they pass on to the test daily at work.

Joining the DPS and attending the Academy was definitely a sacrifice for me. It is a difficult choice to purposefully take yourself away from your young child, leaving your spouse to be a single parent for 5 months. It is a difficult choice to take a pay cut and sacrifice things in your life that you are used to having without a problem. However, looking back on it a year after making the decision, I am confident I made the right choice.”

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