Approval of Agreement between the City of Goodyear and Maricopa Community College to participate in the Glendale Community College Law Enforcement Training Academy (GCCLETA).

Approve and authorize City Manager to execute the Educational Services Agreement between the City of Goodyear and the Maricopa County Community College District for the provision of certain educational services. (Santiago Rodriguez, Chief of Police)

Under the terms of the Agreement, for each recruit enrolled in the training academy, the Goodyear Police Department will pay Maricopa Community College the current tuition fee, which for in-county tuition fee is $3,400.00, registration fees, which is $280.00, and any course and book fees for a total of $3,680.00. (It is not anticipated that there will be any separate course or book fees.) The Community College will reimburse the City the tuition fees paid per recruit, for a net cost of $280.00 per recruit. In addition, the department will pay the salary and employee related costs for any instructors that are provided to the academy. The training of recruits is funded in the Police Department General Fund base budget.

All Goodyear Police recruits are required to attend an Arizona Police Officers Standards and Training Certified Academy. In the past the Department has used the Phoenix Regional Police Academy and the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Department Training Academy to train recruits. However, in 2021 the City of Phoenix notified all valley agencies that only Phoenix Police Department Recruits would be registered for the Phoenix academy. While the Maricopa County Sheriff's Department Training Academy is still available to all valley agencies, it is expected that this academy will not be able to accommodate the anticipated hiring by the west valley law enforcement agencies. The West Valley Chiefs determined that a West Valley Police Academy is necessary to augment the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Department training academy.

The West Valley Chiefs, including Avondale, El Mirage, Buckeye, Glendale, Goodyear, Peoria, Surprise, Wickenburg, and Tolleson, have committed to partnering with the Maricopa Community College to offer an academy hosted at the Glendale Regional Public Safety Training Center (GRPSTC). The GCCLETA is scheduled to hold two classes per fiscal year, beginning September 2022. To date, all the foregoing jurisdictions except Avondale, have entered into Educational Services Agreements with Maricopa County Community College District for the provision of educational services related to the GCCLETA.

The summary of the major terms of the Educational Services Agreement ("ESA") are as follows:

• The GCCLETA will be held at the facilities of the Glendale Community College Public Safety department (the "College")
• The College will be responsible for registering students for GCCLETA (the "Academy") courses
• The city will provide instructors for the Academy courses
• The city will be responsible for paying the College the current tuition fees and registration fee for each recruit enrolled in the Academy courses
• Because the city is providing the instructors fo the Academy, the College will reimburse the tuition fees in the form of "instructor fees", which will be equal to the tuition payment
• The College will provide college credit for those who successfully complete the Academy courses
• The College controls the curriculum and Instructional Services and will evaluate and reevaluate both on an ongoing basis to assure each meets the criterial for receiving college credit. The curriculum will comport with Arizona Police Officer Training Standards ("AZ POST")

The Department recently hired an officer with the qualifications necessary to provide instruction at the Academy.

Over the past several years, the competition amongst agencies to hire qualified police recruits has increased, with every agency looking for an edge to bring on the best and brightest. The hiring agency needs to be able to quickly place the recruit into a training academy class. The ability to place a recruit into an academy allows the department to have officers active on the road faster, and it offers the candidate a target date to begin training for their career.

The Goodyear Police Department (the “Department”) has a good relationship with the Maricopa Sheriff's Training Academy and will continue to maintain its relationship with Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office and send recruits there if needed.  However, the city’s participation in the GCCLETA will offer the Department more available slots per class.  

Staff is recommending council approve the ESA.