The Federal Law Enforcement Training Accreditation (FLETA) Board ispleased to announce it granted reaccreditation status to the U.S. CoastGuard’s Maritime Law Enforcement Facilitator Course at the October 31,2013 Board meeting in Brunswick, Georgia.
The Maritime Law Enforcement Facilitator Course (MLEFC) is offeredto United States Coast Guard Maritime Law Enforcement Academy (MLEA)law enforcement instructors and deployable law enforcement trainingteams. Graduates of the MLEFC possess the skills and knowledgenecessary to instruct Coast Guard law enforcement personnel in a legal,safe and professional manner. During the 5-day course,instructors receive training in a variety of topics utilizingfacilitation techniques and must demonstrate effective trainingmethods.
The United States Coast Guard's Maritime Law Enforcement Academy islocated on the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) campusin Charleston, SC. The MLEA was established in 2004 as the CoastGuard combined existing law enforcement training from facilities inYorktown, VA, and Petaluma, CA, into the single Charleston location inorder to meet the increased demands of a post 9/11 environment. The move to the FLETC Charleston has provided an optimal trainingenvironment including an increase of vessel boarding training platformsfrom four to fourteen; including access to the 490-foot breakbulk carrier "Cape Chalmers.'' These unique training aids greatlyenhance the realism of training and are consistent with the CoastGuard's maritime focus.
Annual student throughput exceeds 3000 students, including more than30 international students and almost 150 state and local officersrepresenting all 50 states and United States territories. TheMLEA administers twelve separate resident courses that range induration from 3 days to 9 1/2 weeks. The staff is composed ofapproximately 196 personnel; predominantly Coast Guard active dutymembers, with a well-balanced cadre of government employees andcontract instructors.
The FLETA Board is the accrediting body for all federal lawenforcement training and support programs. To achieve accreditation,agencies submit to an independent review of their academy and/orprogram to ensure compliance with the FLETA Standards and Procedures in the areas of: Program Administration, Training Staff, TrainingDevelopment, and Training Delivery, with an additional 20 standards forAcademies. Accreditation is a cyclical process occurringevery five years. Each year, agencies must submit annual reportsin preparation for reaccreditation, which is a new and independentreview of the academy/program.