The Federal Law Enforcement Training Accreditation (FLETA) Board awarded accreditation to ten programs and three academies during the biannual business meeting in Glynco, GA from November 18-21, 2014.
On Tuesday, the FLETA Board met in executive session to discuss the FLETA budget, review operational requirements, and discuss future business. Board members who are overseeing each section of the Standards Steering and Distance Education Standards workgroups met to review their progress in preparation for the full workgroup meetings scheduled for later in the week. The Awareness and Recognition, and Return on Expectations Committees met to discuss identifying and capturing the benefits of FLETA and methods for educating and informing stakeholders. The Bylaws Committee met in addition to a new Membership Sub-Committee.
The FLETA Board, through its incentive funding, provided training to 50 members of the FLETA community. The eight-hour training: “Essentials of Agile Design: Blending Agile and ADDIE” was provided by the Association for Talent Development (ATD, formerly ASTD). The training was offered on Tuesday and again on Wednesday.
On Wednesday, the Board reviewed four programs and one academy for initial accreditation, and seven programs and two academies for reaccreditation. Following the Board Review Committees, the FLETA Board met in executive session to discuss the reviews and make a determination of accreditation.
On Thursday, the FLETA Board conducted a public meeting attended by over 100 members of the FLETA community. During the meeting, the FLETA Board awarded the FLETA Team Leader Recognition Award to Kimberly Canitz from the U.S. Secret Service. The Board also recognized the Office of Accreditation for receiving the DHS Secretary’s Award for Excellence. The FLETA Board finalized business, provided and accepted reports from the committees that met on Tuesday, and accepted the report from the Federal Law Enforcement Accreditation Coalition. The FLETA Board meeting concluded with the awarding of accreditation to these programs and academies reviewed during the Board Review Committees:
Initial Accreditation
• Air Force Office of Special Investigations - Sex Crimes Investigator Training Program
• Drug Enforcement Administration - Basic Agent Training Program
• Drug Enforcement Administration - Instructor Development Course
• Department of Homeland Security - Intelligence Training Academy
Reaccreditation
• Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives - Explosives Detection Canine Handler Course
• Drug Enforcement Administration – DEA Academy
• Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers – Land Management Police Training
• Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration – Drug Interdiction Assistance Program
• Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration – Special Agent Basic Training Program
• U.S. Army Military Police School – Criminal Investigation Division Special Agent Course
• U.S. Army Military Police School – Military Police One Station Unit Training
• U.S. Customs and Border Protection – Agriculture Specialist Training
• U.S. Customs and Border Protection – Field Operations Academy
The FLETA Board extended this meeting, working Thursday afternoon and Friday morning. The Standards Steering Committee workgroups met and continued the comprehensive review of the FLETA Standards. The Distance Education Committee met and continued work to develop new guidelines and standards to address online and/or blended learning.
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, and Training Delivery, with an additional 20 standards for Academies. 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.