General Santander National Police Academy

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General Santander National Police Academy is the main education center for Colombia’s National Police. It acts like a university to train officers, enlisted personnel, detectives and other police staff.

History in brief
- The academy was created to train police personnel and was restructured in 1940 by Decree 343 during President Eduardo Santos, with Decree 776 providing funding and clearer goals. Luis Andrés Gómez became the first director and helped hire professors from the National University of Colombia.
- The first class was called Simon Bolivar. Early courses taught civics, geography, the constitution, police and penal code, topography, forensics, leadership, military doctrine, riding and other skills.
- The Alumni Department was created in 1939 to guide professional education, and a promotions system for detectives was set up with defined ranks and time in service.
- The academy’s buildings were officially opened in 1938, and by 1940 the academy was fully organized. In 1976, Colombia’s Education Ministry approved its academic programs, allowing it to operate as a higher education institution.

Education and study plans
- The academy has evolved its study plans over time, moving from short cycles to longer, university-style programs. In the 1990s, the plan was restructured to emphasize professional police education, human rights, ethics and civil liberties.
- In 2000, the academy was authorized to add a Criminalistics (forensic sciences) program as part of its offerings.
- The current curriculum centers on professional police training with a focus on human rights, ethics and legal principles.

What it offers today
- The academy is organized into four faculties that provide undergraduate and graduate programs to form capable police professionals.
- It specializes in Criminal Investigation, Forensics, and Judicial Police, among other police-related disciplines. It also coordinates cross-training with other police units, such as air, aviation, road security and related technical programs.
- The academy maintains international partnerships, notably with the United States’ FBI and DEA, and runs exchange programs with several Latin American countries and Spain.

Overall, General Santander National Police Academy remains Colombia’s premier institution for training police personnel and advancing professional standards in law enforcement.