The Federal Law Enforcement Training Accreditation (FLETA) Board is pleased to announce it granted accreditation status to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) Special Agent Basic Training (SABT), and the Industry Operations Investigator Basic Training (IOIBT) at the November 7, 2019 meeting in Glynco, GA.
The purpose of the SABT is to provide ATF special agents trainees with training and instruction to develop in them the knowledge, skills, and abilities they will need to enforce ATF’s mission – reducing violent crime. The program teaches trainees how to investigate criminal violations of the Gun Control Act and National Firearms Act, and crimes specific to ATF’s jurisdiction including firearms trafficking, and federal arson and explosives violations. The SABT is 69 instructional days and consists of 603.5 hours of instruction. The average number of students per iteration of the program is 24.
The purpose of the IOIBT is to conduct on boarding and basic training for ATF Industry Operations Investigators (IOIs). The ATF IOSs are the regulatory enforcement arm of ATF. IOIs regulate the commercial manufacture, import, distribution, and receipt of firearms and explosives in the United States. This includes ensuring the suitability of persons entering into, as well as persons currently operating in the firearms and explosives industries. The IOIs also provide support for ATF Special Agent criminal enforcement operations through intelligence and evidentiary gathering during industry compliance inspections and criminal search warrants. The IOIBT is 50 instructional days and consists of 400 training hours of instruction. The average number of students per iteration of the program is 24.
The FLETA Board is the accrediting body for all federal law enforcement training and support programs. To achieve accreditation, agencies submit to an independent review of their academy and/or program to ensure compliance with the FLETA Standards and Procedures in the areas of Program Administration, Training Staff, Training Development, Training Delivery, and Distance Learning. Accreditation is a cyclical process occurring every five years. Each year, agencies must submit annual reports in preparation for reaccreditation, which is a new and independent review of the academy/program.