Given the rural, small town nature of much of Vermont, it is recognized that many police agencies cannot fund many full-time officer positions. Historically, agencies have employed part-time officers to fulfill their obligations to their community and to stay within fiscal constraints. Also, it is recognized that there are Vermonters, already employed full-time, who are interested in serving their community as police officers. Hence, the Council provides certification as a part-time police officer.
- 20 VSA§ 2358 - Minimum Training Standards Statute
- Level I and II Certification: A 3 Phase Process
- Rule 13: Mandatory Annual In-service Training
Police Agencies/Towns
Letter to incoming Level II Applicants
Download the Level I and II Certification Paperwork.
(Not intended for individuals - your hiring agency will provide you with required paperwork.)
To submit Level III packets or any required paperwork email Jennifer Hier
Level I and II Certification: A 3 Phase Process.
To obtain a Level I or II certification, one must successfully complete a 3-phase process. The Council has stipulated they must attend a minimum 80-hour academy (Phase One). Upon successful completion of Phase One, they must take a minimum 50 hours of additional training consisting of required and elective courses (Phase Two) and 60 hours in a Field Training and Evaluation Program with a Council certified Field Training Officer. To maintain their certification, Level I and II officers must have a minimum of 30 hours of training each year, which includes firearms re-qualification under the supervision of a Council-certified firearms instructor, first aid training unless currently certified in first aid and biennial Council-certified domestic violence training.
Email Dan Pennington or call 802-483-2744 with questions concerning this process.
Level I and II Police Officer Basic Training - Phase One
- Length of Course: 10 days (80 hours)
- Course hours: 0730 – 1600 hrs.
- Location: Vermont Police Academy
2025 Dates:
- March 10 - March 21, 2025
- Friday, February 14, 2025, Deadline for Registration, Certificate of Compliance Deadline, and Medical Packet
- Friday, February 28, 2028, Firearms Pre-Academy Proficiency Checklist Deadline
- June 09 - June 20, 2025
- Friday, May 23, 2025, Deadline for Registration, Certificate of Compliance Deadline, and Medical Packet
- Friday, May 30, 2025 Firearms Pre-Academy Proficiency Checklist Deadline
- September 08 - 19, 2025
- Friday, August 15, 2025, Deadline for Registration, Certificate of Compliance Deadline, and Medical Packet
- Friday, August 29, 2025, Firearms Pre-Academy Proficiency Checklist Deadline
Tuition
None. Must be sponsored.
Registration
Contact the Vermont Police Academy at 802-483-6228. Standard Phase One registration packet required.
Course description
This course will begin the applicant’s journey towards certification as a police officer by the Vermont Criminal Justice Training Council. Upon successful completion, the participant will be granted a provisional certification and have law enforcement authority only in the presence of a fully certified police officer until successful completion of Phase Two and Three. Details of this process are covered by Rules 7 and 8, and outlined below:
The Vermont Criminal Justice Training Council, through administrative rules, has set forth the following requirements and minimum standards for law enforcement officer certification:
No person, unless exempted by statute, shall exercise law enforcement powers as a Level I or II law enforcement officer in any municipal, county or state law enforcement agency before satisfactorily completing a basic training course consisting of a minimum number of hours of training (Phase I) as established by the Council, but no less than fifty-eight (58) hours, in the following areas including but not limited to:
- First Aid (First aid, CPR, and/or AED)
- Crime Scene Investigation
- Use of Force & Tactics
- Domestic Violence Response
- Hazardous Materials Awareness
- Bloodborne Pathogens
- Incident Command/NIMS
- Search and Rescue
- Interacting with People Experiencing a Mental Health Crisis
- Fair & Impartial Policing
- Any other course required by law or approved by the Council
Level I and II Police Officer Basic Training - Phase Two
Upon successful completion of the Academy Course described above, the Level I or II law enforcement officer will be issued a provisional 12-month certification that grants law enforcement authority but only under the direct supervision and control of a fully certified officer.
During the 12-month period following the provisional certification, the officer must enroll in a program of core and elective courses approved by the sponsoring law enforcement agency totaling a minimum number of hours (Phase Two) as established by the Council, but no fewer than fifty (50) hours. These courses may be offered at the Academy and at various field locations around the state.
Core courses must include but are not limited to:
- Bloodborne Pathogens
- Crime Scene Investigation (CSI)
- Domestic Violence Response
- Fair and Impartial Policing (FIP)
- Fire Extinguisher Training
- First Aid (First Aid, CPR, and/or AED)
- Hazardous Materials Awareness
- Incident Command System (ICS)
- Interacting w/ People Experiencing a Mental Health Crisis
- Search and Rescue (SAR)
- Animal Cruelty Investigation I
- Use of Force and Tactics (UOF)
Elective Courses may include, but are not limited to:
- Traffic Crash Investigation
- Civil Process Service
- Criminal Investigation
- Prisoner Transportation
- Marine Enforcement
- Fish and Wildlife Enforcement
- Interviews and Interrogations
- Courtroom Demeanor
- Use of Police Baton
- Child Physical and Sexual Abuse
- Identification of Substance Abuse
- Sexual Assault
*This training was enacted as a required course for all persons seeking certification as a Law Enforcement Officer in Vermont, effective July 1, 2012. See Title 20 V.S.A. 2358(e) for more information.
Level I and II Police Officer Basic Training - Phase Three
During the same 12-month period the officer must satisfactorily complete a Council certified Field Training and Evaluation Program. This can be accomplished concurrently with the completion of Phase Two training and must include a minimum number of hours as established by the Council, but no fewer than sixty (60) hours, on performance of pertinent tasks observed and evaluated by a Council certified Field Training Officer who attests to successful completion of those tasks.
Upon successful completion of all three phases of training, the Executive Director shall issue a part-time officer certification to replace the provisional certification, thereby granting full law enforcement authority on a limited work schedule.
Signatures by Agency Head, Field Training Officers, and Provisional Officer are required on both FTEP-2 and FTEP-3 forms.
Upon successful completion of all phases of training, the Executive Director shall issue a Level I or II Officer certification to replace the provisional 12-month certification, thereby granting law enforcement authority limited to the provisions of their Level I or II status. [T20 VSA 2358 (c) (3)]