Moore PD Holds First CLEET Certified Cadet Academy

The Moore Police Department is growing in a big way. The department can now hold its own officer academies thanks to a new accreditation. A new batch of cadets will be the first to graduate from Moore's Council on Law Enforcement Education Training or CLEET-certified academy.

When cadets enter the Moore Police Advancement Center located on the northwest side of the city, before classroom or physical training, they learn the culture.

“We hold ourselves to very high levels and high standards,” said Chief Todd Gibson with the Moore Police Department.

Gibson said prior to holding their own academy, cadets were sent to CLEET headquarters in Ada, Oklahoma, for 18 weeks of training.

“This is just more consistent and a more efficient way of just keeping them together in our own academy,” said Gibson.

The department underwent a rigorous CLEET accreditation process which meant having appropriate training facilities.

“They get exposed to all kinds of different elements while they’re in a training academy setting,” said Gibson.  

When not in a classroom, cadets train in virtual and reality-based settings. They learn self-defense and do firearms training at the Moore-Norman Technology Center campus in Norman.

“I feel totally at home here,” said Carlo Prater.

Prater is one of five current cadets.

“The core mission, vision, values of the department--those are instilled in us from the first day we walk in,” said Prater.

He went from being an MMA fighter and training law enforcement on fighting techniques to learning from police.

“I would say to the next class coming through to take advantage,” said Prater. “This is the premier law enforcement agency in the state.”

The training center was strategically placed in a high-crime area of the city. The building doubles as a second headquarters for officers where they can take reports and respond to calls from the building. 

Chief Gibson said it took the department six months to become a CLEET-accredited city.