Training and Education

The police department staff recognizes that the climate changes daily for handling varied situations and a diverse population. With approximately 40,000 public contacts annually, it is a necessity and one of our highest priorities to commit to providing our staff with the best training. Training is key to preparing and enabling police officers and staff to manage incidents, control situations and interact with people.

The police department invests time and money into training. There are federal, state, and local training mandates that are required for police officers on a consistent basis. Officers are trained and qualify with their firearms and Tasers regularly. In addition, defensive tactics, communication skills, cultural sensitivity and first aid and CPR are regulated training that are essential to an officer’s job. Police officers face a variety of scenarios in their public interactions. They have to be equipped with the tools and resources, and be knowledgeable when making split second decisions. They must use good judgement.

Officers receive the most cutting edge tactical, practical and regulatory training necessary to govern their behavior and actions. All officers completed Legal Update, Domestic Violence Update and Racial Profiling Update training. Our officers continue to be trained in Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) to respond to incidents that involve mental illness and/or individuals who experience an event that produces emotional, mental, physical, and behavioral distress or problems. CIT is a model for community policing that brings together law enforcement, mental health providers, hospital emergency departments and individuals with mental illness and their families to improve responses to people in crisis.

Officers also have the most modern technology in the form of tools that they need to effectively do their jobs from body cameras to mobile data terminals in their vehicles.

Basic Police Academy

There are several Basic Training Academies that prospective officers can attend and graduate from. The police academy is the starting point of a police officer’s career.

California P.O.S.T.

The Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) was established by the Legislature in 1959 to set minimum selection and training standards for California law enforcement.

POST Continued Professional Training and Perishable Skills Program

Continued Professional Training (CPT) is required for peace officer and dispatcher personnel who are employed by California's Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) participating departments.

Field Training Program

Once a police officer graduates from the police academy and is hired on with a police department, he or she must complete a minimum of 400 hours of field training in the police department within a minimum of 10 weeks per California POST Field Training Program (FTP) guidelines.

Legislative Mandated Training

Effective initial training is crucial if an officer is to acquire the critical knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to render high quality service. Recognizing this, the California Legislature has identified and requires certain training be conducted in the basic courses.

In-service and Department Training

Training is very valuable to our department’s ability to perform well. As we consistently strive to provide exceptional service and be responsive to community concerns, we are committed to providing contemporary training and development to all our staff.

Recruitment and Hiring

Menlo Park Police Department is committed to recruiting qualified individuals who have a passion to serve others in the community. Our goal is to build a workforce that reflects the diversity of our community we serve, while also ensuring high quality candidates are selected through a fair hiring process.

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