Before an officer is officially a member of the Amarillo Police Department, they have to go through the department’s police academy, learning all the basics of being an officer in Amarillo including penal code, traffic code, defensive tactics, driving and firearms training. Once those officers complete the academy and take the state tests, officers have a job with the department, according to previous reports from the Amarillo Globe-News. But once those officers are three to five years out of the academy, seeing all the things an officer’s job entails, the department gives the chance for those individuals to help teach the younger officers.