More than 1,400 law enforcement officers have trained at South Texas College’s Regional Center for Public Safety Excellence since January. The numbers come from RCPSE interim Chief Administrator Sgt. Jose Moroles, who spoke recently at STC’s President’s Advisory Council Committee.

STC is the first border community college in the nation to establish integrative training for local, state and federal professionals in law enforcement. This also includes those in public safety, fire safety and homeland security along with the US/Mexico border.

Over the course of one year, STC’s RCPSE trainings include basic TCOLE-mandated courses. There are also courses specific to interview and interrogation, and media and public relations to help PIOs. Hostage negotiators can learn advanced communication. A collaboration with FBI LEEDA also led to two supervisory courses for law enforcement.

Current goals of the RCPSE include prioritizing the most sought after instruction required by federal, state, county, municipal, and school district law enforcement. It looks to further develop partnerships with the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. The center will also assist agencies in recruiting future law enforcement officers.

“This has not been an easy adventure,” said STC President Shirley A. Reed. “It has been about developing our vision based on what law enforcement feels is really needed in our region.”

Council looks to future

The President’s Advisory Council meeting was organized to identify strategies in the development of the college’s 2020 RCPSE training implementation plan. The council serves as the principal means to develop advanced training programs at the RCPSE. It also ensures that those programs remain current with evolving technology.

Moroles said the college is further developing training courses law enforcement needs. This includes additional training in both digital technology and DNA testing in the coming year, he said.

“The whole point of the (President’s Advisory) meeting is to come together and share ideas and talk about the priorities for law enforcement, and I think that at the end of the day, there were some suggestions and training that they would like to see,” Moroles said. “We are going to go forward with that and see if we can find the right instructors and bring those courses to our law enforcement professionals.”