6 VAC 20-230-160- Entry Level training- For the safety of current Conservators of the Peace and the general public, mandatory entry level training should be at a minimum 160 hours or more which would include firearms. 40 hours of instruction is simply not enough to entrust someone with full police powers in certain jurisdictions as outlined by the Circuit Court. Regular police academies run sometimes 6 months or longer, and even still it takes an average officer about 18 months to fully understand what he or she is doing out on the street. I'm fortunate enough to have had significant amounts of law enforcement experience, but for those that do not, they may find themselves in a scary situation at some point, and with little training to support them, may end up in an unfavorable result which no one wants to see or hear about. Possible solutions to this would be partnering with local and regional police academies, and developing a curriculum that better serves this profession and powers of this office. 

H.R. 218/Title 18 USC 926- Law Enforcement Officer's Safety Act- Our circuit court orders have this code section written into it. My basic question is do Virginia Circuit Court Judges have the authority to appoint individuals that qualify under this act? I cannot find any case law to support or deny that position? This has become an increasingly gray area, and should have an opinion rendered on it.