Advanced and Pre-Approved Training
Why it matters
Certified officers must maintain and advance their training. The Commission recognizes certain courses as pre-approved for credit, while other courses require individual review and approval. The central skill is classifying a course correctly and documenting the credit.
Concepts to master
- The distinction between pre-approved training (automatically accepted for the specified hours) and individually approved training (submitted for review, often with a course outline, instructor credentials, and hour breakdown).
- Annual in-service expectations and how hours are counted and reported.
- Instructor qualification requirements for courses that carry credit.
- Documentation: certificates of completion, rosters, and submission timelines. Credit is generally tied to verifiable completion, not merely attendance at a session.
- Limits on what counts - e.g., certain administrative or non-law-enforcement hours may not qualify.
Traps
- Assuming any training counts. Relevance and approval status matter.
- Assuming a pre-approved course grants unlimited hours; credit is typically capped at the approved amount.
- Overlooking that an instructor's credentials can invalidate otherwise qualifying hours.
Rule of thumb
Ask three questions in order: (1) Is the topic within the approved scope? (2) Is the course pre-approved or individually approved? (3) Is completion documented? A "no" at any step means the hours are at risk. Keep the certificate and roster; the paperwork is the proof.