The Federal Law Enforcement Training Accreditation (FLETA) Board is pleased to announce it granted accreditation status to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Academy and the New Agents Training Program at the July 15, 2010 meeting in Clearwater, Florida.
The FBI Academy, located in Quantico, Virginia, is where much of the FBI’s training takes place, including the FBI National Academy, a professional course of study for U.S. and international law enforcement leaders. The Academy serves as a premier learning and research center and an advocate for best practices throughout the global criminal justice community. Also taught at the FBI Academy is the New Agents Training Program (NATP), a comprehensive residential academy which teaches New Agent Trainees the basic knowledge, skills, and abilities required to safely and effectively serve the citizens of the U.S. as a Special Agent.
FLETA Board Member Pat Corcoran mentioned the FBI Academy delivers five core programs and noted two Best Practices identified in the Academy assessment: 1) the Fast Track System which addresses and corrects problematic student shooters by providing instantaneous, direct feedback to the student; and 2) the library which is open 24/7 for staff and students to conduct research and has a full-time library staff that is available to conduct research for students, staff, and field offices.
FLETA Board Member Tim Carruth highlighted the robust throughput of an average of 900 students/year in the New Agents Training Program and noted that in addition to classroom academics, the students are measured on six suitability dimensions to make sure they demonstrate the personal qualities and characteristics of the FBI’s core values to successfully serve as an FBI Agent.
To achieve accreditation, an agency must undergo a voluntary thorough assessment of their academy and/or program to ensure compliance with the FLETA standards. These professional standards were developed to increase agency effectiveness and efficiency. The standards address the following areas: Academy Administration; Qualifications and Development of Training Staff; Program Administration; and Program and Curriculum Development. To maintain accredited status, agencies are required to submit annual reports to the FLETA Board and participate in a reaccreditation process every three years.
The FLETA Board is nationally recognized by federal law enforcement agencies, as well as stakeholders in law enforcement training. It is the Board’s goal to improve the federal law enforcement community with each accreditation, and the Board has now awarded 39 program accreditations and 13 academy accreditations.
If you would like more information regarding the FLETA process, please visit the website at www.FLETA.gov or contact FLETA at 912-261-3684.