Here’s why Merced College gets ‘a lot of kudos’ for its police training program

The program Merced College offers to train police officers has begun to grow its notoriety as more agencies are becoming interested in its students, according to a news release from the school.

The Merced College Police Officers Standards and Training program was already established and known in the law-enforcement community when David Noblett and Mark Johnson took over in the fall of 2017, according to Johnson.

Merced’s program includes the first two modules in the police training. Students then transfer to finish up the final module at schools like Fresno City or San Joaquin Delta colleges. The pair of Merced College professors wanted to see if they could take the program to the next level, according to the news release.

“We came in and basically told them that we were going to hold them to a higher standard,” Noblett said. “The idea was to train them as professionally as possible so that when they graduate, it’s an easy transition when they begin their careers.”

The improvements appeared to pay off at the Module One Fresno Police Academy graduation on Aug. 17, the release says, when three former Merced College cadets graduated.

Cadet Mark Barroso received awards for being the top academic student and the best all-around student. Cadet Alicia Meek was recognized with a Top Academic Student Award, Top Physical Fitness Award and a Leadership Certificate at her own graduation.

“We received a lot of kudos for supporting law-enforcement agencies,” Noblett said. “A lot of people complimented the quality of cadet we were sending out.”

So what is so different about Merced College Academy that is suddenly leaving a lasting impression?

“I think Mark and I have just completely bought into the program,” Noblett said. “Mark is very involved in forming and getting together study groups. We’ve also made ourselves available away from school. If they need help with defensive tactics or extra practice at a range, we’ll go out and give them some instruction.”

The POST program accepts 45 students every school year with applications due in April. Students are chosen on a first-come-first-served basis. Module 3 is an 11-week program that comprises 147 hours. Module 2 is a 15-week program with a 217-hour requirement.

*This report has been corrected from an earlier version.

This story was originally published August 26, 2018 at 2:16 PM.