In Dec. 2025, Southeast Missouri State University’s Police Academy went under investigation for allegedly helping students cheat on the Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) exam.
According to the Missouri Department of Public Safety, POST is a regulatory program responsible for licensing peace officers as well as “licenses law enforcement basic training centers, basic training instructors, approves law enforcement training curricula, and provides staff support for the Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission.”
The university has had a 100% pass rate for the POST exam for the past seven years and received a $1.5 million upgrade in June 2025, funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Community-Oriented Policing Services.
The university released a statement addressing the allegations, where SEMO President Brad Hodson explained the university's actions following the allegations.
“Upon learning of the allegations made against the SEMO Law Enforcement Academy, we immediately took three actions,” Hodson stated.
“First, we moved the POST exam out of the classroom and into the University’s professional Testing Services Center to strengthen testing protocols. Second, we began discussing the path forward with the Cape County Prosecuting Attorney and the Academy’s accreditor, the Missouri Department of Public Safety. And, finally, third, we hired Husch-Blackwell, a national law firm, to do an independent, third-party investigation of the allegations made against our instructors and students,” Hodson stated.
SEMO no longer lists Police Academy director Dane Stausing, who took up the role last Nov., on the Law Enforcement Academy Staff directory. The news release states that oversight of the Academy will be transferred to the Department of Criminal Justice, Social Work, and Sociology, chaired by Dr. Brian Donavant.
Missouri Department of Public Safety policy states that if a Director of Public Safety determines that an officer’s license is subject to disciplinary action, a complaint will be filed with the Missouri Administrative Hearing Commission. The Commission then decides if disciplinary action is necessary and may suspend or permanently revoke an officer’s POST license.
Following the allegations, the university has “moved administration of the exam to its on-campus Testing Services Center, which is accredited by the National College Testing Association,” and will be using third-party or online platforms for other academy tests instead of in-class proctored exams.
According to the statement, “Following the completion of the external investigation by Husch-Blackwell in April, the Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney announced a criminal investigation of one individual to be conducted by the Missouri State Highway Patrol. SEMO has received no notification that the University, the Law Enforcement Academy, which is a separate and distinct entity from the University’s Criminal Justice academic program, nor the University Police Department are under investigation.”
“The University is saddened by the actions taken by some individuals during the administration of the December 9, 2025, POST exam,” Hodson stated.
“Their actions do not represent the high standards we hold all faculty, staff, and students to, nor does it represent how seriously we take our role in educating the next generation of law enforcement professionals. We are confident the steps taken regarding the Academy’s leadership, instructors, fall 2025 cadets, and testing protocols have put the Law Enforcement Academy back on track following this incident and in restoring trust and confidence in the program among our regional law enforcement partners,” said SEMO President Hodson.
Eligibility for the program and application process
All students in the SEMO Law Enforcement Academy now have access to financial aid to attend the Academy with the newly added 18-credit-hour Certificate in Law Enforcement. In addition, all students in the SEMO Law Enforcement Academy must apply for admission to the University and complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid).
As before, all SEMO Law Enforcement Academy students must also complete the SEMO Law Enforcement Academy application. Admission to SEMO does not guarantee admission to the SEMO Law Enforcement Academy and vice versa.
Students seeking a bachelor's degree can earn 18 credit hours towards their degree by attending the SEMO Law Enforcement Academy. If a four-year degree is not an option at this time, students will still be able to earn 18 hours by completing the certificate in Law Enforcement through the University.
Both options lead to a Class "A" Missouri Peace Officer's License.
Eligible new Missouri undergraduate students with a 2.75 high school GPA and who are eligible for Pell Grants won’t pay any tuition or fees at Southeast Missouri State with the Will To Do Award. SEMO also offers one tuition rate nationwide for domestic students. More details are at semo.edu/apply.
Students may also qualify for the President’s Scholarship, which awards $8,000 annually to students with a 4.0 high school GPA and a 28 ACT or 1300 SAT. This scholarship is renewable each year and does not require a separate application.