The Royal Canadian Mounted Police initiated a 'Canadian Police College Course' in 1938. However, the main event leading to the establishment of the modern college was the Federal-Provincial Conference of Attorneys General on Organized Crime, held in January 1966. The conference produced proposals for greatly expanded training programs. The college's formal mandate was enacted in 1973, and the official opening occurred in April 1976. The college's director is responsible for planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling the college and is assisted by four committees. The college's activities include management training, courses to improve the effectiveness of other police training programs, specialized training not available locally, other training services, studies on police manager development, and continuing education. The development of regional training facilities in recent years has not changed the need for the central college or the nature of its mandate. The college remains both resilient and flexible in the face of changes over the last decade. Figure and 26 references.