Nebraska State Patrol Modernizes, Centralizes, and Improves its Training Program with Acadis

Customer Profile

The Challenge

The Nebraska State Patrol (NSP) is a full-service law enforcement agency and has been serving the state since its inception in 1937. NSP officers enforce traffic, criminal and drug laws, investigate crimes, and a wide range of other duties.

The NSP Training Academy is responsible for both the initial training of these officers, as well as the ongoing training provided to all NSP officers on an annual basis. The training academy also provides specialty training, such as instructor training and SWAT. Altogether, there are over 20 training programs offered to NSP officers by the training academy.

With 400+ sworn personnel requiring annual training, managing the logistics and overall quality of the program is a massive undertaking. Prior to implementing the Acadis^® Readiness Suite, the training academy staff utilized a different software system for training and curriculum management. At the time, their training management processes required both physical and electronic copies of training documentation and curriculum.

Manually matching paper and electronic copies took a significant amount of time and training records were not as accurate as they are now. Certain training, such as firearms training, also had to be manually entered into multiple systems from in-field documentation.

The Choice

When the NSP Training Academy was informed that they would be losing access to their previous software system, they began the search for a system to manage their training. There was a learning management system (LMS) offered through the state, but they found it wasn’t as user-friendly as Acadis.

“We also had some other issues with it, and we saw that Acadis was just a better way to get everything done,” said an Administrative Specialist with the training academy.

The training academy had previously kept all training records, including attendance records, in their previous system, and they needed a system that could provide that same functionality.

“All of our training records were in that system, so we needed the new system to be able to do all of that. Acadis gave us that and more,” the Administrative Specialist said.

After making the final decision, the training academy began implementing Acadis and officially launched it throughout the agency in 2021.

The Change 

Through Acadis, the Nebraska State Patrol Training Academy has:

• Streamlined training management, drastically reducing the amount of administrative time spent on training processes.
• Consolidated all training-related records and documentation into a single, modern training management system, and consequently, improved the accuracy of training records from hire-to-retire.
• Increased administrative visibility and insight into trainee progress, making it easier for admins to identify and follow up with individuals who have yet to complete required training.
• Utilized reporting functionality to simplify various administrative tasks that previously required admins to print information, and then manually find, review, and digitally transcribe the data.
• Preemptively improved processes related to providing training documentation to the Nebraska Law Enforcement Training Center in the event of an audit.
• Modernized field training management and did away with binders, filing cabinets, and paper-based procedures.
• Empowered officers to keep track of their own training progress by giving them the ability to review their training records, access training certificates, and more through the Acadis portal.
• Provided online training and utilized Acadis’ secure testing features for online written tests, in addition to scenario-based skills testing, to support a blended training and testing model.

By providing administrators and trainees with a single, centralized system for training-related records and documentation, the NSP Training Academy has saved academy staff and trainees time that can be refocused on other critical tasks.

“I used to get at least one phone call or email every day [asking for copies of certificates],” the Administrative Specialist said. “Now it’s just so much easier. They can go into their portal and access that rather than calling or emailing me asking for a copy.”

In addition to the time savings, Acadis has also simplified many of the administrative tasks required to ensure all NSP officers receive the training they need to be successful.

“Having Acadis has made my job easier,” said the Administrative Specialist. “And because it’s more accurate and more user-friendly, it’s been easy to get everything we need into that system and have it all in one place instead of having bits and pieces spread throughout different systems.”

Vector Solutions’ suite of industry-leading software solutions for law enforcement includes training management systems, online training courses, FTO/PTO/CTO/live skill evaluations, academy automation, and an early intervention and conduct management system.