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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the current mandated in-service training for police officers?

Mental Illness, Addiction & Disabilities**IC 5-2-1-9(g)

Autism, Alzheimer’s, Dementia and Endangered Adults*IC 5-2-1-9(g)

Human Trafficking (8 areas)* and **IC 5-2-1-9(g), IC 5-2-1-9(a)(10)

Annual In-service Training RequirementIC 5-2-1-9(g)
Presently 24 hours annually – must include 2 hours in Firearms*, 4 hours in Defensive Tactics and 2 hours in Police Vehicle Operation.

Reserve Officers   IC 5-2-1-9(g) & IC 36-8-3-20(1)
Same in-service as required of regular police officers.

Officers should receive some training in all of the IC 5-2-1-9 requirements each year. 
The areas specifically required in IC 5-2-1-9 can be used to partially satisfy the 24-hour requirement.

Under state/county/local continuing education laws:
Domestic and Child Abuses, SIDS, CPR and Heimlich Maneuver, and others
State:  IC 5-2-8-5(e)(1-17); County:  IC 5-2-8-1(h)(1-18); Local: IC 5-2-8-2(f)(1-18)

Departments should be prepared to show that officers are competent in these areas although these do not necessarily require annual training.

Federal :
NIMS (DHS, required for DHS grants)
Bloodborne Pathogens (EPA, 29 CFR 1910.1030)
Hazardous Materials (EPA & OSHA, 29 CFR 1910.120)
Familiarization with Reflective Clothing Rule (DOT 23, CFR 634)

*Training now available through ILEA website.
**DVD available for purchase through ILEA Quartermaster.

How can I attend the Academy's Basic Course / How do I become a Police Officer?

You must be hired by a police department. They will send you to the Academy for basic training. This training must be completed within one year from the date you become a sworn, paid police officer, otherwise you will lose your arrest powers.

Do I have to attend the Academy if I graduated from an Academy in another state?

The General Assembly amended IC 5-2-1-9(d), effective July 1, 2026, for out-of-state law enforcement applicants. As of July 1, 2026, an individual who completed an out-of-state state-approved basic law enforcement academy, who has worked as a full-time law enforcement officer for a state, county, city, or municipal agency for at least ten (10) years, may be eligible for a waiver of some portion of Indiana’s basic training requirements. The individual must have been in good standing with all previous employers and must have worked as a law enforcement officer within the last six (6) years.

Pursuant to the language of 250 IAC 2-2-1 and 250 IAC 2-4-1, the applicant who has not been employed by an out-of-state law enforcement agency for at least ten (10) years, but who has completed a basic training course meeting or exceeding Indiana’s minimum basic training course hours in place at the time of completion, and who has at least one (1) year of paid, full-time law enforcement experience with an out-of-state police agency, may be eligible for a waiver of some portion of Indiana’s basic training requirements.

The newly hired officer must:

  • Successfully complete a background investigation with the hiring agency, including a review of the National Decertification Index
  • Provide a copy of a basic training certificate from a state-approved basic training program
  • Provide a copy of the total curriculum hours from the basic training program completed
  • Provide documentation of all previous law enforcement employment including years of service and training history with each agency, as well as a letter from each agency head on letterhead documenting that the individual left the agency in good standing
  • Complete a “New Hire” form in ACADIS with the Indiana law enforcement agency

The Indiana law enforcement agency head must submit the above information to the Executive Director for waiver consideration. There is a $50.00 Waiver Application fee. Please submit a department check made payable to ILEA/LETB with the waiver application packet.

After the waiver application is approved by the Law Enforcement Training Board, the candidate will need to complete additional waiver training requirements, including successful completion of Indiana’s criminal and traffic law curriculum and tests, a comprehensive written examination, psychomotor skills training and practical examinations, and a Board-approved EMS Awareness course.

When does my law enforcement authority begin if I am a Waiver applicant?

A waiver applicant who was a law enforcement officer in another state may take the pre-basic course upon hire and will gain law enforcement authority after successful completion for up to one (1) year from date of hire in Indiana. The applicant must then successfully complete the waiver training course within one (1) year of date of Indiana hire to retain that law enforcement authority. Failure to complete within one (1) year of date of hire will result in a loss of law enforcement authority until the officer successfully completes the waiver training course.

If the waiver applicant chooses not to take the additional pre-basic course on top of the waiver training course, the applicant will not have any law enforcement authority in Indiana until the applicant successfully completes the waiver training course.

Can I get a waiver from basic training if I graduated from a reserve academy?

A graduate of a LETB approved Certified Reserve Officer Academy may be eligible for a waiver of the Tier II Basic Training Course if hired by a police agency eligible to participate in the Tier II Basic Program (250 IAC 2-4-1).

A. To begin a waiver process, a department head or Town Board President must submit the following:

1. A letter on department or town letterhead that contains confirmation that the agency:

  • Has confirmed that the individual meets the minimum standards for acceptance into training pursuant to 250 IAC 2-3
  • Has confirmed completion of EMS Awareness course
  • Has successfully completed a LETB certified Reserve Officer Academy
  • Has hired the individual for a paid position within the agency and entered the individual into, or completed a “Change of Employment” form in ACADIS, contingent upon completion of the waiver application process
  • Has confirmed that the individual is current on all annual training mandates for all years the individual served as a reserve officer
  • Provide a brief description of the individual’s law enforcement career including appointing agencies, years of service, and average annual hours worked as a reserve officer

2. A copy of the completion certificate and transcript from a LETB-certified Reserve Officer Academy
3. Payment of the $50.00 waiver application fee (methods for payment available on ILEA’s website)

~~ NOTE: Most often, an Officer may exercise police powers through a prebasic course for one (1) year from the date of hire, while obtaining a waiver. Contact ILEA Legal division for individual questions. ~~

B. Upon receipt of listed items (must be accurate and complete), the waiver request will be presented to the LETB for approval at the next regular meeting. Waiver approval may be contingent upon the individual passing any or all of the Tier II examinations, at the Board’s discretion pursuant to 250 IAC 2-9-1.

C. Indiana Law Enforcement Academy’s Registrar will notify the department head if the officer is to report to Indiana Law Enforcement Academy for testing following the Board’s decision.

D. Upon completion of all waiver requirements and approval by the LETB, a certificate showing compliance with the Tier II Basic Training mandate will be issued.

What is the current process for instructor re-certification?

Primary Instructor -

  • Document twelve hours of instruction per year, thirty-six hours over three years (See Documenting Instructional Hours)
  • Complete an Instructor Application
  • Upload both documents through the Acadis Portal
  • Submit payment information through the Acadis Portal
  • Re-certifications will not be finalized until payment is received
  • There is no grace period for instructor re-certifications.

Psychomotor Skills Instructor -

  • Document twelve hours of instruction per year in each psychomotor skill possessed (ex. EVO and Firearms Instructor would require twenty-four hours per year or seventy-two hours over three years)
  • Upload both documents through the Acadis Portal
  • Submit payment information through the Acadis Portal
  • Re-certifications will not be finalized until payment is received
  • There is no grace period for instructor re-certifications.

Academy Staff Instructor -

  • Document twelve hours of training per year, thirty-six hours over three years
  • Upload both documents through the Acadis Portal
  • Submit payment information through the Acadis Portal
  • Re-certifications will not be finalized until payment is received
  • There is no grace period for instructor re-certifications.

Master Instructor -

  • Document twelve hours of training per year, thirty-six hours over three years
  • Document the evaluation of at least three programs or instructors per year, these hours can count towards the instructional hour requirement
  • Complete an Instructor Application
  • Upload all documents through the Acadis Portal
  • Submit payment information through the Acadis Portal
  • Re-certifications will not be finalized until payment is received
  • There is no grace period for instructor re-certifications

What agencies are L.E.T.B.- certified to conduct Instructor Development courses?

Those agencies authorized to provide an LETB Certified Instructor Development Course are:

LETB certified Basic Academies/Staff

  • Indiana Law Enforcement Academy at Plainfield
  • Northern Indiana Law Enforcement Basic Training Academy
  • Indiana University Bloomington Law Enforcement Basic Training Academy
  • Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Basic Training Academy
  • Fort Wayne Police Department Basic Training Academy
  • Indiana State Police Basic Training Academy
  • Southwest Indiana Law Enforcement Training Academy, Evansville

LETB Certified Training Councils

  • Southwest Indiana Law Enforcement Training Council (Jasper area)
  • Central Indiana Law Enforcement Training Council (Plainfield/Indianapolis area)
  • North Central Indiana Law Enforcement Training Council (Grissom AFB)
  • Northern Indiana Law Enforcement Training Council (Gary area)
  • Northeast Indiana Law Enforcement Training Council (Elkhart/Ligonier area)
  • South Central Indiana Law Enforcement Training Council (Dearborn County area)

These sites or their staff, who have met the educational requirements, are the only agencies authorized by the LETB to provide a certified Instructor Development Program.

How many hours of training conducted by an L.E.T.B.- certified instructor can be used toward the instructor's mandated 24 hours of inservice training?

Instructors may use no more than four (4) hours of their instructional time to count towards their in-service requirement of twenty four (24) hours.

Can I attend an In-Service class if I am an out of State Police Officer?

The Indiana Law Enforcement Academy will permit Full time out of State Police Officers to attend in-service classes if there are openings left in the class. Each class has a limit on how many students may attend the class. If a slot is available you will be notified no earlier than 30 days before class begins. Contact the Academy Registrar for additional information.

What are the Academy's In-Service Training Requirements?

As of 2009, the annual in-service training requirement:

  • 24 hour minimum annually.
  • At a minimum, two (2) of these hours must be in the subject of firearms.
  • At a minimum, four (4) of these hours must be in the subject of defensive tactics with hand-on participation.
  • At a minimum, two (2) of these hours must be in the subject of police vehicle operation.

This does not change the other mandated requirements that are separate from the rules in 250 IAC 2-7. Keep your eyes on the website for more details.

What is the Refresher Course?

The Refresher course is a method that officers may use to ‘revive’ their LETB certificate to perform law enforcement duties.

Officers leave the profession of law enforcement for various reasons like retirement, taking another job, etc. Sometimes those officers want to re-enter law enforcement, again, for a variety of reasons, such as they miss the profession, a law enforcement job opportunity arises, etc.

I.C. ยง5-2-1-9(o) allows a police officer who has left law enforcement for at least two (2) years but less than six (6) years to ‘refresh’ her/his LETB certificate and begin enforcing the law again. A police officer who has left law enforcement for six (6) years or longer must repeat basic training and cannot ‘refresh’ his/her LETB certificate.

For complete details on the Refresher Course CLICK HERE.

How many hours do I get to claim towards my in-service yearly requirement for the new online recertification for breath test operator?

The Department of Toxicology has determined that two (2) hours is adequate time to complete the training. An officer who successfully completes the training may claim two (2) hours towards their mandated twenty four (24) hour yearly requirement.