The Federal Law Enforcement Training Accreditation
(FLETA) Board of Directors is proud to announce the recent award of Academy Accreditation
presented to the United States Secret Service James J. Rowley Training Center
on November 19, 2006. The Service was
also awarded accreditation for their “Essentials of Instruction” program.
The Center which is located in Beltsville, Maryland
has served as the training academy for the Secret Service since 1971. The Secret Service has long realized the
importance of training and wanted to further exemplify their professionalism by
achieving this national recognition.
Beginning in 2005, the USSS dedicated
a team, led by Dr. Mary Kay Armour, to pursue this prestigious recognition. Through much hard work and commitment they
were rewarded for all their efforts by becoming one of the first Federal
academies accredited in the United
States.
The team assigned to assess compliance also reported the Academy was to
be applauded for their Laser Fiche ™ Software Program used for organization,
storage and archiving of electronic copies of lesson plans and their newly
developed Information Systems Design (ISD) Tracking Worksheet. These were identified in the report as Best
Practices by which all agencies could model their training. The USSS is to be commended for their
continued efforts to ensure the quality of training they deliver is accredited
and therefore more successful.
To achieve accreditation, an agency
must undergo a voluntary thorough assessment of their academy and/or program to
ensure compliance with the FLETA Standards.
This independent assessment is performed by volunteers from varying
federal law enforcement agencies and addresses the following areas: Academy
Administration; Qualifications and Development of Training Staff; Program
Administration; and Program and Curriculum Development.
FLETA Chairperson Sharon Henegan stated, “Through the
Accreditation process, agencies have proven their commitment to quality,
effectiveness and integrity, we congratulate the USSS on this accomplishment
and applaud them for taking the lead to make accreditation a priority in
training. Accreditation shows their dedication to ensure their agents have the
best training available and that meets prescribed standards.”
Accreditation has long been recognized
as a means of maintaining the highest standards of professionalism and Federal
law enforcement agencies are no exception. All Federal law enforcement training
academies and training programs are eligible to have the opportunity to attain
accredited status through the Federal Law Enforcement Training Accreditation
Board. To maintain their accreditation status, agencies are required to submit
annual reports to the FLETA Board, and participate in a Re-Accreditation
process which includes an assessment every three years. If you would like more
information on the accreditation initiative, please visit our website at WWW.FLETA.GOV or call our office at 912-554-4392.