Criminal Justice students seeking a career in police work will be able to apply for the Law Enforcement Academy minor. These students must go through all the standard State of Alabama requirements to be a police officer, including an interview process, mental and physical evaluation, physical agility course, and standard police polygraph examinations. These standards must be met to enter the Northeast Alabama Police Academy (NEALEA). The University Police Department (UPD) and the Department of Criminal Justice and Forensic Investigation will jointly test these students.
Students who successfully pass these standards will be allowed to attend the police academy in their junior year. The UPD will be the sponsor (representative agency) for these students, and students will pay for the academy through their tuition. Following completion of the police academy, students will be under an agreement where they will be assigned to work positions designated by UPD during their senior year.
The Law Enforcement Academy minor consists of 21 hours. Because NEALEA is a 17-week academy, students will complete the minor in one semester during their junior year. The minor includes the following courses:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CJ 307 | Criminal Law II | 3 |
| CJ 376 | Traffic Control | 3 |
| CJ 380 | Patrol Procedure and Communication | 3 |
| CJ 395 | Crime Prevention | 3 |
| CJ 472 | Senior Internship in Criminal Justice | 3 |
| HPE 115 | Beginning Fitness | 1 |
| MSC 112 | Basic Marksmanship | 2 |
| MSC 115 | First Aid | 3 |
| Total Hours | 21 | |