Cadets Return to Tri-C Police Academy

On-site training restarts with safe distancing measures and COVID-19 precautions

Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C^®) has resumed face-to-face training at its Police Academy seven weeks after suspending on-site instruction amidst the COVID-19 outbreak.

Cadets returned Monday to Tri-C’s KeyBank Public Safety Training Center at Western Campus. They are the first group to restart classes on campus since the College halted in-person instruction in March.

As part of the reopening, Tri-C’s program adopted safe distancing measures and precautions recommended by health officials. These include:

• Taking temperatures of students, instructors and staff upon arrival
• Mandatory use of masks or face shields
• Classroom seating placing students at least 6 feet apart
• Ample supplies of sanitizer for hands and surfaces

The College also conducted online orientations with students and instructors prior to classes reconvening to discuss using best practices to minimize the potential risk of COVID-19 exposure.

Those steps and Northeast Ohio’s critical need for first responders led to the decision to bring cadets back to the training center, said Clayton Harris, Tri-C’s dean of public safety.

“Our cadets were excited to return and pursue their career ambitions,” Harris said. “They’re needed now, and we’re doing everything we can to allow them to complete their training so they can serve the community.”

Previously, Tri-C became the first law enforcement program in Ohio to move a portion of its Police Academy training online so cadets could move forward with their instruction.

The College currently has three Police Academy cohorts working toward graduation. Staggered start times minimize contact between the groups, which bring 51 cadets to campus. Two security academies totaling 14 students also restarted.

May 08, 2020

John Horton, 216-987-4281 john.horton@tri-c.edu