Municipal Police Academy Programs
Throughout the year, the Municipal Police Academy offers a selection of trainings and programs which provide testing and instruction to both safety professionals and the public.
All events are held at:
Please park in the front lot and enter through the front doors.
2025 Mandatory In-Service Training Courses
This 12-hour program is exclusively for sworn law enforcement officers on active duty. Training is offered annually and covers changes in criminal and vehicle law and other elective courses provided by the Municipal Police Officers' Education and Training Commission (M.P.O.E.T.C.). All active-duty police officers must complete this training each year to maintain their certification. The 2025 topics include:
- 25-001: Legal Updates
- 25-002: Law Enforcement Response to Homeless Persons
- 25-003: Tactical Response
- 25-004: Elder Abuse and Exploitation
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania requires that any person wishing to become a certified security officer or who is privately employed and is required as a condition of employment to carry a lethal weapon must participate in a 40-hour Lethal Weapons Training program. Pennsylvania also requires that every five years, individuals who have been certified must attend an eight-hour recertification (renewal) program. The Ƶapp University Police Academy offers these classes periodically each year, with sessions held at the Academy’s HQ in North East, PA. The price for the 40-hour course is $475, and renewal is $200. Please view our FAQ for important facts about the Lethal Weapons Training Act.
To apply for either the basic forty (40)-hour course or the eight (8)-hour renewal course, contact Dr. Art Amann at aamann@mercyhurst.edu. Please note that you do not have to pay in advance for this course but must bring payment in full on day one of class. Finally, after receiving approval from the Pennsylvania State Police to attend one of our courses, they will send you a letter to this effect. This letter, or a copy, MUST be brought to the first class, or you cannot be admitted.
Please contact Dr. Art Amann (aamann@mercyhurst.edu) for dates. Sessions begin at 7 a.m. and end at 8 p.m. at the Ƶapp University Municipal Police Training Academy, 5999 State Rt. 89, North East, PA. Please note: This class is NOT located on the main Ƶapp campus.
Please contact Dr. Art Amann (aamann@mercyhurst.edu) for dates. Sessions begin at 8:30 a.m. and conclude at 3:30 p.m. Students will need a serviceable duty sidearm, revolver or semi-automatic, a holster and sturdy belt, magazine holder, ball cap, ear and eye protection (safety glasses), and 200 rounds of factory ammunition. Shotguns and rounds will be provided.
The cost for these programs is $475, payable on day one of training.
Questions can be directed to Dr. Amann at aamann@mercyhurst.edu
Complete an online (Basic Applicant) application using the . Log in as a First-Time User on the left side of the screen. If the system recognizes your information, you may be instructed to select the other option to log in with your existing profile, also on the left side of the screen. Once you are in the system, select the Home Act 235 button and select the Basic Training Application. Scroll down to select “Start Application." Complete all required information on each screen and submit when you have finished. This will require a credit card payment of $50.
When you submit your application, you will receive an automated email from Identigo/Morphotrust with instructions for scheduling your fingerprint session. You must be fingerprinted at one of the approved Identigo/Morphotrust locations. You will not receive the results of your fingerprints. These will be forwarded directly to the Lethal Weapons Certification Unit for review.
When you submit your application, you will also receive a confirmation email from the Lethal Weapons Certification Unit with instructions to download and print the physical and psychological examination forms. You must undergo a physical and psychological examination at your own expense. The physicians must be PA-licensed and must submit completed and signed forms to the Lethal Weapons Certification Unit.
It is the applicant's responsibility to schedule the training after receiving the approval letter from the State Police. After you receive approval, contact Dr. Amann at aamann@mercyhurst.edu
Ƶapp Municipal Police Training Academy
Act 235
P.O. Box 246
North East, PA 16428
Individuals who have completed comparable law enforcement training within the past five years may be waived the academic training requirement. Individuals who have successfully qualified on a law enforcement firearms course within the past 12 months may be waived of the firearms training requirement.
To request waiver consideration, please submit the following supporting documents to the Lethal Weapons Certification Unit at mpolethalweapcert@pa.gov or at the address listed above.
In response to requests from the public and in keeping with the pledge to provide “services for a safer tomorrow,” we offer unique training programs designed specifically for citizens. These programs are fairly short in nature to acknowledge that our students are busy adults, yet inexpensive in order to provide this training to as many people as possible. Additionally, all instructors are employees of the Ƶapp University Municipal Police Training Academy, especially suited for working with adult students concerning public and personal safety issues. More information can be obtained by contacting Dr. Art Amann at aamann@mercyhurst.edu
Current programs include:
Situational Awareness
In response to the dangers inherent in a free society, public safety experts at the Ƶapp University Municipal Police Training Academy developed a concise but intensive training program titled “Situational Awareness.” This is NOT a “fighting” curriculum but rather one focused on developing the mental and emotional skills needed to survive high-risk events either personally or in the workplace. This program runs from four to seven hours, depending on the material requested by our students.
Police Academy
Bill Hale
Program Director, Municipal Police Academy
Aaron Jackson
Admissions Counselor
Meet the Faculty
Municipal Police Academy