Section 1 - Certified Criminal Justice Training Academy Status and Organization

Chapter 2

Section 1 - Certified Criminal Justice Training Academy Status and Organization 

A. Changing Certified Criminal Justice Training Academy Status:

1.  A change in certified  criminal justice training academy status includes any of the following:

a.      Leaving one regional criminal justice academy and joining a different regional criminal justice academy

b.     Leaving an independent academy to join a  regional criminal justice academy

c.      Leaving a regional criminal justice academy and creating an independent academy

d.     Merging two or more regional criminal justice  academies

2.  All local political subdivisions whose personnel are subjected to mandated training shall provide the Department with a certified criminal justice training academy of record and shall notify the Department when there is a change in the certified criminal justice training academy of record.

3.  Changes in certified criminal justice training academy status are subject to the following applicable procedures as well as the requirements of § 15.2-1747 and § 15.2-1300:

a.    A written request from the agency administration has been sent to the chairman of the academy governing body of the regional criminal justice academy where membership is desired;

b.   The agency administrator has simultaneously sent a copy of the request to the Department’s Law Enforcement Division Director. Notification to the Department’s Law Enforcement Division Director must be provided in order to determine any potential impact on funding allocated by the state.

c.    The agency administrator has simultaneously sent written notification of the intent to withdraw membership to the academy governing body chairman of the certified criminal justice training academy being withdrawn from and the Department’s Law Enforcement Division Director.

d.   The chairman of the academy governing body, where membership is desired, has notified all member agencies of the membership proposal and obtained approval.

e.    The academy board chairman, where membership is proposed to be withdrawn, has provided the agency administrator with the opportunity to address the academy governing board on the reasons the agency is withdrawing membership. 

f.    The chairman of the academy governing body, where membership is desired, has notified the agency administrator in writing of his board's decision regarding the acceptance or rejection of the membership proposal and notified the Department’s Law Enforcement Division Director.

g.    Upon acceptance, the agency administrator must send written notification of withdrawal of membership to the governing body chairman of that regional criminal justice academy where membership is being withdrawn.  Notification must be sent no later than nine (9) months prior to the end of the contract period of the certified criminal justice training academy from which the agency is withdrawing. If no contract date is included in the academy’s charter, then the notice date will be October 1 of the fiscal year immediately preceding the fiscal year in which the department intends to withdraw.

h.    A withdrawing member agency is obligated to pay its designated financial assessment until the end of the fiscal year preceding the fiscal year in which the member agency will change academy status unless the regional criminal justice training academy charter specifies otherwise.

i.    The withdrawing agency and the certified criminal justice training academy from which the agency is withdrawing shall enter into a mutual agreement to satisfy any financial obligations. A signed copy of the mutual agreement shall be provided to the Department and members of the Committee on Training (COT).

j.     The Department and the COT shall only review requests for certification or recertification after receiving and reviewing the required mutual agreement.  

4.     The Department will provide a fiscal impact statement to the chairman of each regional criminal justice training academy board. The statement will address the financial impact on each regional criminal justice training academy for the fiscal year in which the withdrawal will become effective.  

B. Academy Charter:

1.   Each regional criminal justice training academy shall be established in accordance with Section 15.2-1300 or 15.2-1747 of Code of Virginia. 

2.   No provision of a certified criminal justice training academy's charter or governing documents shall be inconsistent with procedures, rules, and regulations adopted by the Board.

3.   The organization of each certified criminal justice training academy shall be specified by the academy charter, governing documents or policies. 

C.  Academy Governing Body:

The majority of the governing body of each regional criminal justice training academy shall be composed of chiefs of police and sheriffs of member agencies, jail administrators, and chief executives of local political subdivisions.

D. Academy Director:

Duties: The management, administration and operation of each certified criminal justice training academy shall be the responsibility of the academy director.  Accordingly, the academy director shall: 

a.      Develop and continually review certified criminal justice training academy curriculum. 

b.     Schedule certified criminal justice training academy courses and programs.

c.      Review instructor lesson plans and tests. 

d.     Ensure that instructors, instructional staff, and students comply with academy bylaws. 

e.      Monitor certified criminal justice training academy courses and programs. 

f.       Evaluate instructor and instructional staff performance.

g.     Prepare and distribute academy training calendar.

h.     Instruct as needed.

i.      Review and approve in-service training at satellite facilities.