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Guest commentary: A robust training culture is an investment, not an expense

By Staff | Feb 3, 2023

CCPD Police Chief Anthony Sizemore.

The shocking criminal acts committed by former Memphis Police Officers while they attempted to take Tyre Nichols into custody earlier this month, once again has the nation reeling. How could this happen? Again??

The nation has called for “change” and “higher standards.” A common statement has been made for years now that our nation’s law enforcement needs more training. I could not agree more with that sentiment.

To paraphrase Albert Einstein, doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity.

The cycle has been: experience a tragedy, demand more police training, recoil at the realities of what a commitment to training entails, do nothing and hope it doesn’t happen again, express outrage and shock when it does. Insanity indeed.

Law Enforcement training is expensive. Professional training requires paying for instructors or have full-time trainers on staff, already short-staffed departments allowing officers time off the streets to attend training, and/or paying officers to train on their off time. There is also the issue of having physical space to conduct reality-based scenario training.

As you can see, training is costly and many cities across the United States have not put their words and wishes into action.

Fortunately, the City of Cape Coral is not one of those cities. Cape Coral views training not as an expense, rather we view it as an investment. The Cape Coral Police Department has long invested in a robust organizational culture of training.

This investment began in 1989 when the agency became accredited with the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA). CALEA is the “Gold Standard” and shows the commitment to excellence shared by the Cape Coral Police Department, City Leaders, Elected Officials, and our community.

The Cape Coral Police Department also has a full-time Training Unit, which has been in place for decades. The Training Unit has continued to grow as our department increases the number of officers to keep pace with our community’s unprecedented growth. I am thankful for our City Manager, Mayor, and City Council for sharing in my vision to bolster our Training Unit through the budget process. Our Training Unit is second to none. In addition to providing continuous training to our staff, they are members of national training organizations, and provide cutting edge instruction across the country.

Several years ago, CCPD began planning for a state-of-the-art training facility. This is a major component in our investment in training. This training facility was envisioned by my predecessors and supported by previous city administrations and City Councils. Fast forward to this year, and construction on the training facility is set to begin.

I am honored to see this project commence and so encouraged that our current City Manager, Mayor and City Council are committed to continuing the investment in our culture of training.

Many factors go into ensuring that a police department is successful. Proper recruiting, rigorous background investigations and psychological testing prior to hire, support from the community and local government, competent supervision, and continuous training are but a few of the factors.

The men and women (sworn officers as well as professional staff) of the Cape Coral Police Department are committed to delivering top-flight law enforcement services to our community. I could not be prouder of them.

As your Chief of Police, I am committed to continuing our investment in training and ensuring that the Cape Coral Police Department exceeds our community’s expectations.

— Anthony Sizemore is the chief of police for the Cape Coral Police Department.