# Public Safety Police Academy - PSPA (PSPA) courses Bakersfield College · 2026-2027 Catalog · 9 courses Source: https://bakersfield.elumenapp.com/catalog/2026-2027-Catalog/public-safety-police-academy-pspa "Offered" lists sections in this catalog year's class schedules: Fall 2026, Spring 2027. ### PSPA B70 — Field Training Officer - **Units:** 2.5 - **Hours:** 45 lecture hours - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026, Spring 2027 schedules - Credit - Degree Applicable - Non-repeatable credit - Limitation on enrollment: Must be sworn law enforcement officer per PC830.1. Approval of equivalent training is not a guarantee. Students must be familiar with: knowledge of police operations, California law, case law, evidence collection, criminal justice procedures, proper use of force, penal and vehicle codes, Health and Safety codes, verbal and non-verbal communication, daily policing, police weaponry, rank structure in policing, local State/Federal laws and policies. - Grading: Pass/No Pass This course fulfills POST training requirements for newly assigned personnel with the responsibility of training law enforcement officers. Topics include expectations, functions and roles of the Field Training Officer, ethics and professionalism, driver awareness/driver safety, legal and liability issues, teaching and training skills development, evaluations, and leadership. ### PSPA B71 — Background Investigation - **Units:** 2 - **Hours:** 36 lecture hours - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026, Spring 2027 schedules - Credit - Degree Applicable - Non-repeatable credit - Limitation on enrollment: This course requires participants to be sworn law enforcement officers per PC830.1. NOTE: Approval of equivalent training is not a guarantee state regulatory or licensing agencies will also grant equivalency. - Grading: Pass/No Pass Provides basic techniques and procedures for conducting pre-employment background investigations of Peace Officer and Public Safety Dispatcher candidates. ### PSPA B72 — Field Training Officer Update - **Units:** 1.5 - **Hours:** 27 lecture hours - **Prerequisite:** Successful completion of PSPA B70 or equivalent with a grade of C or better. - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026, Spring 2027 schedules - Credit - Not Degree Applicable - Non repeatable credit. - Limitation on enrollment: Must be sworn law enforcement officer per PC830.1. - Grading: Pass/No Pass This course is designed to provide current Field Training Officers with legal, procedural and conceptual updates and updated instruction on liability, documentation, and adult learning methods. The course satisfies POST regulations which require all Field Training Officers to complete a minimum of 24 hours of update training every three years following completion of the Field Training Officer Course. ### PSPA B73 — Supervisory Course - **Units:** 4.5 - **Hours:** 81 lecture hours - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026, Spring 2027 schedules - Credit - Degree Applicable - Non-repeatable credit - Limitation on enrollment: Must be sworn law enforcement officer per PC830.1. Approval of equivalent training is not a guarantee. Students must be familiar with: knowledge of police operations, California law, case law, evidence collection, criminal justice procedures, proper use of force, penal and vehicle codes, Health and Safety codes, verbal and non-verbal communication, daily policing, police weaponry, rank structure in policing, local State/Federal laws and policies. - Grading: Pass/No Pass POST training curriculum for the newly promoted law enforcement supervisor. Role identification, leadership styles, values, ethics, and principles, assertive leadership. ### PSPA B74 — Dispatcher Public Safety (Basic) - **Units:** 9 - **Hours:** 162 lecture hours - **Offered:** Fall 2026, 1 section (/c/bakersfield-college/schedule/fall-2026/pspa.md); Spring 2027, 1 section (/c/bakersfield-college/schedule/spring-2027/pspa.md) - Credit - Not Degree Applicable - Non-repeatable credit - Grading: Pass/No Pass, Letter grade Students will obtain the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the tasks and duties required of a police dispatcher as defined in the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) procedure D-1-7. ### PSPA B75A — Regular Basic Course - Module III Format - **Units:** 6.5 - **Hours:** 90 lecture hours, 81 lab hours - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026, Spring 2027 schedules - Credit - Degree Applicable - Non-repeatable credit - Limitation on enrollment: Valid Class C California Driver's License. Proof of a Department of Justice criminal history clearance to possess a firearm (PC 13511.50 or, be sponsored by a law enforcement agency. - Grading: Pass/No Pass Satisfies mandatory requirements for Level III Reserve Police Officer and is the mandatory prerequisite for the Regular Basic Course PSPA B75B (Level II module). NOTE: Student must provide a handgun, ammo and safety equipment associated with a firearms course. ### PSPA B75B — Regular Basic Course - Module II Format - **Units:** 9 - **Hours:** 135 lecture hours, 81 lab hours - **Prerequisite:** Successful completion of PSPA B75A or equivalent with a grade of C or better. - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026, Spring 2027 schedules - Credit - Degree Applicable - Non-repeatable credit - Limitation on enrollment: Current (within the last 3 years) in PC 832 Arrest and Firearms training requirements. Proof of a Department of Justice criminal history clearance to possess a firearm (PC 13511.5). Passage of the POST - Constructed Comprehensive Module III End-of-Course Proficiency Test within the preceding 12 months. - Grading: Pass/No Pass Satisfies mandatory requirements for Level II Reserve Police Officer and is the mandatory prerequisite for the Regular Basic Course-Module I Format ### PSPA B98NC — De-Escalation Tactics for Public Servants - **Units:** 0 - **Hours:** 9 lecture hours - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026, Spring 2027 schedules - Non-Credit - This is a noncredit course. Student can re-enroll as many times as necessary to achieve satisfactory progress. - Grading: Noncredit Grading (P/SP/NP, UG) The course is designed to provide public servants training in de-escalation strategies and tactics. The course will provide students with the tools, skills, and resources necessary to effectively de-escalate potentially violent situations. Topics include the importance of communication in de-escalation, understanding and recognizing the signs of escalation, and verbal, non-verbal, and active listening de-escalation techniques. ### PSPA B99 — SafeWrap Restraint System Training for Public Servants - **Units:** 1 - **Hours:** 18 lecture hours - **Offered:** not on the Fall 2026, Spring 2027 schedules - Credit - Not Degree Applicable - Non-repeatable credit - Grading: Pass/No Pass The course is designed to provide public servants with training in the SafeWrap System of de-escalation strategies and tactics. The course will provide students with the tools, skills, and resources necessary to effectively maximize physical control while reducing the risk of injury to all parties involved in a use of force encounter between public servants and the public. Students will learn techniques for the safe restraint of aggressive, suicidal, and emotionally disturbed persons in a variety of public service settings such as jails, mental hospitals, and police-civilian contacts. Additional topics include the minimization of diaphragm compression, the avoidance of joint locks, choke holds, strikes, improving use of force and restraint outcomes for public and private sector public safety organizations, and the promotion of public confidence in the frontline personnel of these organizations.