Chapter 3: Instructor Certification and Re-Certification Requirements

Chapter 3

INSTRUCTOR CERTIFICATION AND RECERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

Purpose: The purpose of this document is to provide clarification of the administrative requirements referenced in 6VAC20-80-90 of the Rules Relating to Certification of Criminal Justice Instructors.

  1. Categories for instructor certification
    1. There are six categories of instructor certification.
      1. Provisional 
      2. General 
      3. Firearms  
      4. Defensive Tactics  
      5. Driver Training  
      6. Speed Measurement
    2. Initial instructor development courses shall not be conducted at a satellite facility. 
  2. Instructor Certification:
    1. ​All instructor certifications shall be in compliance with the requirements of 6VAC20-80-90 of the Rules Relating to Certification of Criminal Justice Instructors.
    2. The criminal justice professional’s employing agency must submit a completed application (IC-1) signed by the agency administrator or their designee, to the academy director.
    3. All instructor certifications become effective upon completion of the requirements at a certified criminal justice training academy and subsequent entry of the instructor information by Department staff into the Department’s electronic records management system under the “Instructing” tab.  The Department is the final approval authority for all instructor applications.
    4. All instructor certification becomes null and void when the certified instructor is not employed by the agency who requested the instructorship.  The instructorship may with the review and approval of the Department be reinstated upon employment with a new criminal justice agency upon request of the new employing agency (IC-2).
  3. General Instructor and Skills and Specialty Area Instructors
    1. ​General, skills, and specialty area instructors shall serve an apprenticeship within 12 months of successfully completing an instructor development course with a certified instructor. In accordance with the requirements of 6VAC20-80-40 the certified instructor shall possess a minimum of three years of experience as a certified instructor in the topic being apprenticed.

a. Applicant must demonstrate proficiency in both classroom and skills presentation.

b. Instruct a minimum of four hours in the skill or specialty area (two hours for speed measurement) in mandated instruction or another course of instruction approved by the academy director.

c. Agencies may request a training extension for the completion of the apprenticeship if circumstances meet the regulatory requirements for a training extension. 

2. Failure to complete the apprenticeship as specified, requires the criminal justice professional to repeat the basic requirements for the skill or specialty instructor.

3. Each type of instructorship requiring an apprenticeship must have a separate apprenticeship and a separate application, IC-1 or IC-2.

4. Firearms Instructors, Defensive Tactics Instructors and Driver Training Instructors shall have and provide documentation of extensive training and experience to be qualified for instructorship in these areas.

  1. Firearms Specialty Instructors shall only be authorized to instruct mandated firearms training courses and to conduct annual firearms qualifications only, unless meeting standards for other categories through mandated training and apprenticeship as defined in this document.
  2. Defensive Tactics Specialty Instructors shall only be authorized to instruct mandated defensive tactics training courses, unless meeting standards for other categories through mandated training and apprenticeship as defined in this document.
  3. Driver Training Specialty Instructors shall only be authorized to instruct driver training subjects, unless meeting standards for other categories through mandated training and apprenticeship as defined in this document.
  4. Speed Measurement Specialty Instructors shall successfully complete a speed measurement instructor course which meets or exceeds the standards established by the Department. Speed Measurement  Specialty Instructors shall only be authorized to instruct speed measurement subjects, unless meeting standards for other categories through mandated training and apprenticeship as defined in this document. This provision applies to all new personnel employed after July 1, 2007.

D. Review and  Submission of  Instructor Application  

1. Certified criminal justice training academy staff is responsible for ensuring accurate completion and submission of the initial instructor certification application.  Particular attention shall be given to the following areas:

  1. Determining the appropriate application (IC-1 or IC-2) has been completed and signed by the agency administrator.
  2. Verify the accuracy of the information in the Department’s electronic records management system and the training dates.
  3. Verify that the apprenticeship evaluator has at least three years experience as an instructor in the category for which the apprenticeship is conducted; and the apprenticeship consists of approved training and minimum hours (4 hours minimum for general and each specialty, except 2 hours for speed measurement). 

2. The certified criminal justice training academy forwards the completed application to the Department for final approval and entry into the records management system.  

E. Instructor Recertification Process

1. Instructors must recertify each instructorship by December 31 of every third year following initial instructor certification to maintain their instructorship(s). Recertification must be completed before the instructor certification expires.  If the certification has expired, see G below for Instructor Reinstatement Process.

2. The academy director must verify each instructor has taught a minimum of 8 hours of mandated training per instructorship from initial certification or last recertification date to be eligible for recertification. The academy director may count lecture/classroom hours taught within a skills or specialty area (as those outlined above in Section 1 - Instructor Certification C 4) toward a general instructorship status.

  1. For instructors due by 12/31/2016 – 4 hours of instruction are required for each instructorship.
  2. For Instructors due by 12/31/2017 – 6 hours of instruction are required for each instructorship.
  3. For Instructors due by 12/31/2018 and thereafter – 8 hours are required for each instructorship.
  4. Mandated training includes training which requires a DCJS certified instructor

3. Basic training

  1. Evaluation of performance testing may be counted toward instruction hours
  2. Role playing cannot be counted toward instruction hours

4. In-service training approved through the academy

  1. Evaluation of performance testing may be counted toward instruction hours
  2. Role playing cannot be counted toward instruction hours

5. In addition to approved basic and in-service training, the following may be counted toward mandated training hours for instructor recertification:

  1. Partial in-service training approved through DCJS provided there is documentation (copy of the PIC approval with the instructors’ name(s) or with a memo from the course coordinator).
  2. Annual Firearms Qualifications instruction through their agency upon submission to the academy director with a signed letter from the agency administrator or designee with the dates and times attesting that the instructor has provided the hours reported. (Not applicable to independent academies.)

1) Lecture or classroom firearms instruction may be counted toward general instructorship hours.

2) Range training may only be counted toward firearms instructorship hours.

  1.  Speed Measurement Operator instruction through their agency may be counted toward speed measurement instructorship upon submission to the academy director with a signed letter from the agency administrator or designee with the dates and times attesting that the instructor has provided the hours reported. (Not applicable to independent academies.)
  2.  Field training or on-the-job-training through their agency may be counted toward general instructorship upon submission to the academy director with a signed letter from the agency administrator or designee with the dates and times attesting that the instructor has provided the hours reported. (Not applicable to independent academies.)

6. Instructor Recertification Course shall be completed and include a minimum of two hours of training.

  1. Instructor recertification courses shall be completed for each skill or special instructorship held.

1) Firearms Instructor recertification course shall be a minimum of two hours training. 

2) Defensive Tactics Instructor recertification course shall be a minimum of two hours training. 

3) Driver Training Instructor recertification course shall be a minimum of two hours training. 

4) Speed Measurement Instructor recertification course shall be a minimum of two hours training.

  1. The director of a certified criminal justice training academy shall establish recertification criteria for that certified criminal justice training academy and submit completion of the recertification training to the Department.
  2. No application is required for instructor recertification completed within the time limits established in E 1 
  3. Instructors will be recertified based upon the electronic submission of the documentation of training completion in accordance with the requirements of 6VAC20-90-120 E. The certified criminal justice training academy shall electronically submit the required documentation of completion of the instructor recertification course. 
  4. Instructor recertification becomes effective when entered into the Department’s electronic records management system and the individual is listed as a certified instructor.
     
  1. Instructor Certification Extensions
    1. Instructors may receive a recertification training extension for demonstrated good cause for a maximum of 90 days upon the submission and approval of a Training Extension Form (Department Form TE-2) to the Department’s Field Services Staff serving the region. 
    2. Extensions shall only be allowed prior to an instructor certification expiration date.
    3. Any instructorship that has expired without the approval of a training extension must be handled as an Instructor Reinstatement.
       
  2. Instructorship Reinstatement
    1. There are three types of instructor reinstatement
      1. Employment related

1) Instructor certification becomes null and void when the certified instructor is no longer employed by the agency who requested the certification. 

2) Upon reemployment with a Virginia criminal justice agency or certified criminal justice training  academy, the agency or the certified criminal justice training academy may request the instructorship be reinstated by submitting an Instructor Reinstatement Form (IC-2) with the agency administrator’s (or their designee) signature and the academy director’s signature to the Department for approval.

  1. Expired certification

1) When the instructor fails to complete the instructor recertification process within the required guidelines (three years following the initial certification and every three years thereafter), the instructor certification becomes null and void until reinstatement.

2) If the instructorship certification has been expired less than 12 months, the agency or certified criminal justice training academy may request the instructorship be reinstated by submitting an Instructor Reinstatement Form (IC-2) with the agency administrator’s (or their designee) signature and the academy director’s signature to the Department for approval. 

3) The expired instructor must complete an instructor recertification course as described in 6.C and complete a subsequent apprenticeship. 

4) If the instructorship is expired due to lack of the 8 hour instruction requirement, the reinstatement apprenticeship shall include the remaining hours of the required instruction in addition to the 4 hour apprenticeship (2 hours for speed measurement). 

5) Any instructorship certifications expired for more than 12 months shall not be eligible for reinstatement under this section and must complete the instructor certification process as new. 

  1. Revocation related

1) When the instructorship was revoked under the provisions of number 5, the instructor’s agency may apply for reinstatement three years from the date of revocation by submitting an Instructor Reinstatement Form (IC-2) with the agency administrator’s (or their designee) signature and the academy director’s signature to the Department for approval.

2) Upon approval of reinstatement, the revoked instructor must repeat the basic instructor requirements to include a new basic instructor development course, new apprenticeship and new application. 

  1. Certified criminal justice training academy staff is responsible for ensuring accurate completion of the instructor reinstatement application. 

 

    H. It is the academy director’s responsibility to verify that all instructors are listed in the Department’s electronic records management system as a currently certified instructor prior  to an individual being allowed to instruct.

  1. By submission of the application, the agency and certified criminal justice training academy requesting certification of the criminal justice professional named on the form as a criminal justice instructor is attesting to compliance with the requirements of the “Rules Relating to the Certification of Criminal Justice Instructors” to include all employment, training and apprenticeship requirements. Specifically, the Authorized Agent of the employing agency is attesting that the applicant meets all employment requirements and requesting that the applicant be certified as an instructor. The academy director is attesting that the applicant has successfully completed the training and apprenticeship requirements and is qualified to be a certified instructor. The academy director is responsible for maintaining documentation of completion of training and completion of the apprenticeship on file for inspection and review purposes upon request by the Department.