Again, there were few qualified instructors to teach it. Trainers found themselves playing catch-up. A group of trainers on CompuServe's Police Forum was discussing the challenge of bringing new information to the troops. NV Metropolitan Police commented that there should be an online police academy to bring such courses to police officers more quickly and efficiently. That chat was prompted by the 1992 OSHA requirement.
Simple ideas can be complex to realize.
The first challenge was finding a host university, second an administrator for the program, and third qualified instructors to develop and present courses. Everything started falling into place the summer of 1996. Yes, it took four years to bring Cobb's simple idea to fruition. And it's still evolving. After its first year, OPA had few courses in its catalog and a only dozen students enrolled.