Christopher Coyle
Police Academy Directors office at TJC West Campus. Director Lamb and his instructors are caught here interacting and laughing. From left to right Maggie Martin (Instructor) Mark Lamb (Director) and Taylor Bogue (Instructor)
The Tyler Junior College Law Enforcement Academy is undergoing significant curriculum updates to align with evolving state and federal standards, according to Mark Lamb, the director of the Law Enforcement Academy at TJC.
Governed by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, the academy follows a structured curriculum that is regularly audited to ensure compliance with state mandates.
“We go through continuous training with them,” Lamb said. “They come and audit our curriculum to make sure that we are on par with what the state mandates us to teach.”
Recent updates include changes to the academy’s force-on-force policy and instruction on racial profiling. These adjustments reflect broader shifts in law enforcement training across Texas. Cadets are evaluated weekly through exams and scenario-based training that emphasizes de-escalation, crisis intervention and ethical decision-making.
“What we teach in the classroom, we take out into the field,” Lamb said. “They’ll apply it in scenario-based training.”
Mental health resources are also a key component of the academy’s approach. A licensed professional counselor at TJC Tracey Williams is available to cadets.
“If we ever have a cadet experiencing emotional trauma or needing counseling, we can send them to Tracey,” Lamb said.
The academy also trains cadets to recognize and manage depression, anxiety, and other mental health challenges they may encounter on the job.
To prepare cadets for emotionally charged situations such as domestic violence and suicide intervention, the academy incorporates realistic scenario training.
“We bring in actors and other police officers to act as victims or witnesses,” Lamb explained. “We put our own experiences into the training.”
Lamb offered candid advice to prospective cadets.
“Serving the community isn’t easy, and in this job, you never stop learning,” Lamb said. “You have to always continue to read and grow, understand updated case law. This isn’t a one-and-done.”