Institute of Police Technology and Management Online Training Studio Enhancement

The Institute of Police Technology and Management (IPTM) is a direct support organization of the University of North Florida (UNF) in Jacksonville. Since opening its doors on the UNF campus in 1980, IPTM has trained over 500,000 law enforcement students in 55 states and U.S. territories and 15 countries. IPTM provides cost-effective, cutting-edge training to the criminal justice community, enhancing the quality of service by law enforcement to the Jacksonville region. IPTM is the largest and most varied national law enforcement training institute in the country. IPTM specializes in Crash Investigation and Reconstruction, Criminal Investigation and Forensics, Impaired Driving and Traffic Enforcement, Leadership and Management, Drug Investigations, Tactical Operations, Hostage Negotiations, and Telecommunications and Dispatch training programs.
    IPTM began offering online training programs in 2010. Each program is developed and produced using the same tradition of excellence as IPTM’s classroom programs, utilizing the program’s expert instructional team, curriculums, and hands-on activities. In the subsequent 13 years, the demand for online training programs have increased substantially. During the COVID lockdowns in particular, the vital role online training can play in meeting the needs of our law enforcement community was made abundantly clear. Since 2010, IPTM has trained over 9,000 students in its online courses. In the coming years, the need for these programs will only increase. The increased need for online training for the law enforcement community is driven by several factors:

    First, online training provides tremendous cost savings for law enforcement agencies. Training budgets are one of the first to be cut when agencies are forced to tighten their belts. Online training     eliminates travel expenses, which constitute a large portion of training costs.

    Second, as COVID and other recent social events have led to increased rates of retirement, a more technology focused generation of officers are filling supervisory and management positions.

    Third, new officers and incoming recruits have been immersed in internet culture for most of their lives and are completely comfortable in online learning environments. IPTM is now faced with “Training     the Next Generation of Law Enforcement.”

    The University of North Florida IPTM Online Training Studio Enhancement will enable the institute to expand and enhance its online training platform to meet the growing demand. IPTM currently utilizes an in-house studio to develop, film, and produce online programs. As technology is ever changing, having the most up-to-date equipment, as well as studio mobility to document practical exercises is key to providing the most up-to-date training experience possible. In addition, the ability to offer a hybrid of online and in-person training would greatly benefit the Jacksonville region’s law enforcement partners. Specialized equipment is required to engage officers with the most dynamic learning experience, optimizing their ability to reap the benefits of the classroom from the convenience of their offices or homes.