Policy

Policy 1. The enabling legislation provides that the activities of law enforcement officers are of such nature as to require selection, education and training of a professional nature upon entrance and during the careers of such officers. Beginning in 2004, the Legislature enacted specific requirements for certain law enforcement officers to complete continuing education. This chapter shall focus on the continuing education and training during the careers of law enforcement officers training during the careers of law enforcement officers. A. Continuing education requirements for municipal police chiefs and municipal officers. 1. The chief of police of any municipality in the State of Mississippi is required to annually complete twenty (20) hours of executive level continuing education courses and any new chief of police having never previously served in that capacity, is required to complete forty (40) hours of executive level continuing education courses for his first year of service which are approved by and reported to the Mississippi Board on Law Enforcement Officers Standards and Training. Elected chiefs, although exempt from certification requirements, are not exempt from continuing education requirements. 2. Any police officer of any municipality in the State of Mississippi is required to annually complete a specified number of hours of continuing education courses which are approved by and reported to the Mississippi Board on Law Enforcement Officers Standards and Training. The following number of hours of continuing education courses is required for municipal police officers based upon the number of years following July 1, 2004: a. 0-2 years after July 1, 2004 ........8 hours of annual training b. 3-4 years after July 1, 2004 .......16 hours of annual training c. 5 or more years after July 1, 2004 …..24 hours of annual training. B. Any chief of police or municipal police officer who fails to comply with the provisions of this section shall be subject to having his/her certification as a chief of police or municipal police officer revoked by the Mississippi Board on Law Enforcement Officers Standards and Training, in accordance with Section 45-6-11. Failure to complete and/or report the training will place the agency on administrative hold. The Board shall notify the State Auditor’s Office and the appropriate District Attorney or County Attorney of all noncompliance. C. The Mississippi Board on Law Enforcement Officers Standards and Training is authorized to institute and promulgate all rules necessary for considering the revocation of any municipal chief of police or municipal police officer who does not comply with the provisions of this section, and may grant, for sufficient cause shown, an extension of time in which compliance with the provisions of this section may be made. D. Any chief of police or municipal police officer who is aggrieved by any order or ruling made under the provisions of this section has the same rights and procedure of appeal as from any other order or ruling of the Mississippi Board on Law Enforcement Officers Standards and Training. E. Beginning in July, 2014, all sheriffs are required to annually complete twenty (20) hours of continuing education courses in law enforcement. Such courses shall be approved by the Mississippi Board on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Training. F. Continuing Education shall be defined as; instruction that enhances or develops law enforcement Knowledge, Skills or Abilities (KSA’s) for either generalized or specialized law enforcement essential functions as determined by the Board. The Board shall conduct ongoing assessments of KSA’s to determine the critical needs wherein agencies and individual officers would most benefit from programs. G. Continuing Education Planning and Budgeting - The Board shall develop and implement a process each fiscal year to approve advanced training for law enforcement professional associations. Law enforcement professional associations approved for advanced training by the Board include the Mississippi Constable’s Association, Mississippi Association of Chiefs of Police, and the Mississippi Sheriff’s Association. These associations may provide critical needs continuing education, executive and leadership advanced training. Any reimbursement of training expenses will be authorized only for those agencies and subdivisions of the state who are in compliance with all provisions of the Law Enforcement Officers Training Program (LEOTP) to include those policies and procedures established by the Board on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Training pursuant to the LEOTP.