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Types of Accreditation

An agency may apply for program accreditation, academy accreditation, or both. A separate application must be submitted for each program and/or academy.

Program Accreditation: Basic Training Program

An entry-level program that is transitional to law enforcement service and provides training on critical competencies and responsibilities, or has a nexus to law enforcement service. Successful completion of a basic training program is generally a requirement for appointment to a job or job series in a law enforcement service job, or one with a law enforcement support mission.

Program Accreditation: Basic Instructor Training Program

A foundational training program designed to prepare new instructors for full-time assignment to a training academy. The training should incorporate a number of instructional methodologies such as lectures, discussions, demonstrations, role-plays, facilitation, and practical exercises.

Program Accreditation: Other Programs

Courses or groups of training sessions or learning activities conducted for specific audiences on a recurring basis, with the expectation that learning will occur and/or performance will improve, or that a prescribed level of proficiency will be achieved, as evidenced by an appropriate evaluation tool (i.e. training program must include Levels 1, 2, and 3 or an equivalent).

These programs may or may not have received their own program accreditation.

General Requirements

For a training program to be accredited, the applicant must show the following:

  1. Program policies, procedures, and/or directives must address each applicable FLETA program standard.

  2. Supporting evidence must exist to demonstrate that the applicant is following its policy.

  3. Each location where the program is presented on a regular basis must be identified in the application. If the program is exported or conducted at multiple sites, the facilities, resources, and training at each site must meet the standards.

  4. Include policies/evidence for eTraining in the applicable files, if the training program meets the FLETA glossary for eTraining.

  5. The program must meet all required FLETA program standards.

  6. Newly created programs must be presented a minimum of one time beyond the program’s pilot presentation before a FLETA Assessment will be conducted.

Academy Accreditation

Recognition that all training programs that an academy manages are administered, developed, and delivered according to the FLETA standards. To be eligible for academy accreditation, a training organization must achieve accreditation for all law enforcement service basic training programs (as defined in the glossary) and either use a FLETA accredited basic instructor training program or achieve accreditation for its basic instructor training program. To be eligible for academy accreditation, a training organization without basic training programs must achieve accreditation for their primary program(s) and either use a FLETA accredited basic instructor training program or achieve accreditation for its basic instructor training program.

General Requirements

For a training academy to be accredited, the applicant must:

  1. Have all basic training (entry-level) law enforcement and a basic instructor training program(s) FLETA accredited (or use a FLETA accredited basic instructor training program from another organization).

  2. Academy policies, procedures, and/or directives must address each applicable FLETA standard. Academy accreditation is a commitment that all policies, procedures, and/or directives are applied uniformly across all training programs under its authority; this includes programs that have not been formally assessed through the FLETA process.

  3. If the academy trains at multiple locations, the sites must be identified in the application and the facilities, resources, and training at each site must meet the standards.

  4. Include policies/evidence for eTraining in the applicable files, even if the eTraining program is not one of the programs selected to represent the academy, if the academy manages training programs that meet the FLETA glossary for eTraining.

  5. Supporting evidence must exist to indicate the academy meets each standard. During the Academy assessment, supporting evidence must come from 50% of the of the Academy’s other programs (up to a five other programs) not including include the basic training or basic instructor training program(s) already accredited. The Academy may use more than five programs to demonstrate compliance, if necessary. In the rare instance when an academy does not have additional programs, evidence may be used from the basic training and basic instructor training programs to demonstrate compliance. The applicant must ensure this exception is noted in the application for academy accreditation.

  6. The academy must meet all required FLETA academy standards.

Training organizations applying for accreditation must complete the FLETA assessment within three years of application acceptance. If the academy/program has not completed the assessment within that period, the organization will be required to submit an updated application.

Refer to the current edition of the FLETA Procedures and Standards Manual for additional guidance.

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