Current through Register Vol. 42, No. 5, February 29, 2024
(1) The Commission
may waiver the completion of any course required by Rule
650-X-11-.01
of the regulations upon presentation of documentary evidence by the Department
of Corrections that a gainfully employed (full-time or part-time) officer has
received equivalent training in another jurisdiction or through federal, or
department of defense correctional experience.
(2) The Commission will review the
documentation of equivalent training presented by the Department of Corrections
and use a point system, as described later in this rule, to determine if
comparative compliance is achieved.
(3) If equivalency training is approved, the
officer will qualify to attend an 80 hour Correctional Officer Refresher Course
to equate previous training with current standards.
(4) Equivalency of Training Point System. For
the purpose of determining equivalency of training, the terms listed below
shall have the following meaning and values:
(a) Experience: The total number of years the
applicant has been employed full time as a correctional officer since
completing an entry level basic correctional training course.
(b) Education: An academic title awarded by a
post-secondary institution which is accredited by a state certification board
or commission and authorized to award such degrees.
(c) Equivalency: Achieved by obtaining a
total of ten or more points based on the following schedule; of which, each
applicant will be awarded the maximum number of points that he/she qualifies
for in each of the three categories:
Years of full-time Correctional Experience:
Less than one (1) 0
One (1) to five (5) years 5
Five years, 1 day, to 10 years 6
Ten years, 1 day, to 15 years 7
Fifteen years, 1 day, to 20 years 8
Twenty years and one day or more 9
Basic Correctional Training than 280 hours 0
280 hours - 319 hours 1
320 hours - 479 hours 2
480 hours - 639 hours 3
640 hours - 800 hours 4
801 hours - 959 hours 5
960 hours or more 6
Post-secondary Degrees
Associate Degree 1
Bachelor Degree 2
Masters Degree or above 3
(correspondence courses not accepted)
(5) Eligibility. An applicant
requesting lateral entry to the correctional field in Alabama must meet the
following requirements:
(a) Other State
Applicants. Possess a current and valid Peace Officers Standards and Training
Certificate from the state the applicant received training. This certification
of training must be issued after completing a basic correctional training
course mandated by the State in which the officer was trained. Applicants must
not have had a break in service in excess of two (2) years following
separation.
(b) Military
Corrections Applicant. Be a graduate of a formal Military Confinement Basic
Training Course. Applicant must have been performing duties in a correctional
function the last four years prior to separation and must not have a break in
service in excess of two (2) years following military separation.
(c) Federal Corrections Applicant. Be a
graduate of a formal Federal Correctional Basic Training Course. Applicants
must have been performing duties in a correctional function the last four years
prior to separation from Federal Service and must not have a break in service
in excess of two (2) years following Federal Service separation.
(d) The following applicants will not be
considered for eligibility:
1. Applicants who
do not meet APOSTC standards for certification.
2. Applicants who have been "Grandfathered"
or "exempted" from training.
3.
Applicants whose certification has been suspended or revoked.
4. Applicants who have a primary Security
Guard occupational code.
(6) Refresher Course. Those applicants who
have received an acceptable evaluation of their experience, education, and
training are required to attend an eighty (80) hour refresher training course o
be conducted at the corrections basic training academy. The general curriculum
will be developed and updated as needed by the departmental curriculum
development committee and approved by the Alabama Peace Officers Standards and
Training Commission. No credit will be given for a partially completed training
course. Trainees shall not be absent more than 5% of the required training
hours. The following are mandated subjects and must be passed. Any trainee who
fails to pass (a), (b), or (c) shall be required to attend the 480 hour
corrections basic Academy.
(a) An overall
academic average of not less than 70%
(b) Pass the Legal Issues Exam with a score
of not less than 70%
(c) Pass the
physical agility test
(d) Pass two
of three attempts on the handgun firearms course. A minimum score of seventy
(70) is required to pass each attempt.
1. If a
trainee does not pass ANY of the three (3) handgun qualification attempts then
the trainee is deemed to have failed the Academy and is barred from employment
and certification as a correctional officer for two years.
2. Any trainee who passes one of the three
attempts, but fails to pass twice, will be allowed, at the written request of
the employing Agency, to attend the next available academy to take the forty
three (43) hours of handgun firearms training and qualification (provided the
trainee passes all other phases of the academy session and does not exceed the
statutory six (6) month provisional appointment time). If the trainee fails to
pass handgun firearms training at this point, the trainee is deemed to have
failed the Academy and it barred from employment and certification as a
correctional officer for two years.
(e) Pass shotgun firearms training and pass
the shotgun firearms course. A minimum score of seventy (70) is required to
pass the shotgun firearms course.
(f) Applicant must present proof of CPR
Training prior to admission to the course.
(7) Definitions:
(a) Correctional Officer: An individual who
is employed or has been employed by a federal, state, county, or municipal
agency as a correctional officer, federal correctional officer, or military
confinement officer who has power of arrest.
(b) Basic Correctional Training Course: A
basic course recognized by a state commission, state board, or agency which
leads to licensing or certification as a correctional officer; or a basic
course conducted by the Department of Defense for personnel classified as
correctional personnel under their military specialty codes, i.e., Military
Occupation Code (MOS), Air Force Specialty Code (AFSC).
(8) Procedures:
(a) All commission procedures applicable to
certification of newly employed correctional officers must be followed when
applying for Lateral Entry.
(b) The
employer must complete the required applications forms in duplicate, and
provide certified true copies of correctional training and training curriculums
provided in the training of the applicant.
(c) The applicant will arrange for the
post-secondary schools, colleges, and universities to forward a certified true
copy of post-secondary degrees earned, to the Peace Officers Standards and
Training Commission.
Author: Alabama Peace Officers Standards and
Training Commission
Statutory Authority:
Code of Ala.
1975,
§§
36-21-40,
36-21-51.
