Detention Officer Training Academy

The Detention Officer Training Academy (DOTA) was started in 1994 and was sponsored and run on-site by the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office (YCSO). Prior to this, detention officer new hires attended training academies operated by Maricopa and Pima Counties, and the Arizona Detention Association. The in-house training academy provided the Sheriff’s Office the opportunity to train detention officer recruits locally, thereby reducing tuition costs and eliminating travel related expenses. In addition, the DOTA provided better agency oversight of the recruits during the various training phases.

The YCSO DOTA was dedicated to providing all detention officer recruits with the skills and knowledge they needed to provide care, custody, and control of various custody levels within the detention center. The Basic Training Certification consisted of two hundred eighty (280) hours of classroom and practical application instruction in basic inmate supervision and unit management. The 7-week academy also included training in subjects such as defensive tactics, correctional law, and interpersonal communication. Upon their graduation, the newly certified detention officers received 80 hours of field training with a Field Training Officer.

The YCSO DOTA was comprised of an Academy Director, an Academy Class Advisor, and various instructors/trainers that assisted throughout the course of the academy. Field Training Officers provided training within the academy as well as in the Detention Bureau’s in-service training program. The DOTA also received support from the Patrol Bureau’s General Instructors that were certified by the Arizona Peace Officers Standards and Training Board.

For many of our detention officers, the DOTA was their first step into a career in the law enforcement field. Over the years, many of our detention officers made the decision to become sworn peace officers after gaining valuable experience working inside the Detention Center. This greatly benefits the Sheriff’s Office because by the time they apply to become a Deputy/Reserve Deputy, we already have some insight as to the officer’s character, demeanor, and integrity. While the officer still has to submit an application for Deputy Sheriff or Reserve Deputy Sheriff and go through the rigorous hiring process, the process takes about half the time that it would for a civilian new hire, which in turn saves the Sheriff’s Office time and money.

On December 16, 2021, the YCSO Detention Officer Training Academy graduated its last class of Detention Officers, Class #103.

From the 1994 through 2021, the YCSO Detention Officer Training Academy graduated over 900 Detention Officers.

Arizona Western College Detention Officer Training Academy

Given the success of the full-time Arizona Western College (AWC) Law Enforcement Training Academy, in August 2020, the Sheriff’s Office submitted a proposal to the AWC Workforce Development and Career and Technical Education Department for an AWC Detention Officer Training Academy.

The AWC Detention Officer Training Academy graduated its first class of cadets on Thursday, May 26, 2022.

For more information...

Contact the Training Department at (928) 539-7826.