In addition to the 16-week academy course all new officers attend, the University of Connecticut Police Department requires 40 hours of review training every three years. Beyond that, many UConn officers have received specialized training in areas such as Advanced Hostage Negotiation, Interview and Interrogation, Canine, and Computers. Officers are put through a field training officer program here that lasts about 120 hours. The New Hampshire Police Academy in Concord pays for officer training with state funding, and many of the educational programs UNH officers are sent to do not cost the university money. However, the time used to send them is quite an investment, according to Beaudoin.
Special schools can be in state or out of state.
Every UNH officer is sent to Babson College in Waltham, Mass., for a High Level Quality Management Program, which takes three weeks and is paid for by the university. He also pointed out that universities do not necessarily pay less than the surrounding towns. He said salary increases are based on merit as well as small automatic increases. Many places, such as Portsmouth, have set annual increments for raises. It is a terrible situation in that regard.