Florida Criminal Justice Standards & Training

The foregoing information is drawn directly from the Commission’s web pages and can be viewed at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Mission

To ensure that all citizens of Florida are served by criminal justice officers who are ethical, qualified, and well-trained.

Primary Responsibilities of the Commission

• Establish uniform minimum standards for the employment and training of full-time, part-time, and auxiliary law enforcement, and correctional and correctional probation officers.
• Establish and maintain officer training programs, curricula requirements, and certification of training schools and training school instructors.
• Certify officers who complete a Florida Basic Recruit Training Program, or who are diversely qualified through experience and training, and who meet minimum employment standards.
• Review and administer appropriate administrative sanctions in instances when an officer, a training school instructor, or a training school is found in violation of Florida Statutes and Commission standards.
• Promulgate rules and procedures to administer the requirements of Chapter 943.085 - 943.257, F.S.
• Conduct studies of compensation, education, and training for the correctional, correctional probation, and law enforcement disciplines.
• Maintain a central repository of records of all certified officers.
• Conduct quarterly meetings to discuss issues and approve rules that relate to officer standards and training.
• Develop, maintain, and administer the State Officer Certification Examination for criminal justice officers.

Review statistics on Florida State Law Enforcement Departments like pay scale, ratio of officers to population, profiles criminal justice agency’s salaries, compensation packages, programs, training requirements, pre-employment requirements and officer demographic across the state of Florida.

Initiation of Officer Misconduct Cases by Commission

The Professional Compliance Section may initiate officer misconduct cases when:

• Requested by the Governor
• As a result of an Affidavit of Separation form CJSTC-61t that reflects the following unfavorable misconduct "reason of separation":
  • Voluntary Separation or Retirement while being investigated for violation of Section 943.13(4), F.S.
  • A violation of Moral Character standards defined by Rule 11B-27.0011,F.A.C.
  • Terminated for Violation of Section 943.13(4), F.S.
  • Violation of Moral Character standards defined by 11B-27.0011, F.A.C
• As a result of an Internal Investigation Report form CJSTC-78, when the investigation report indicates violations of Section 943.13(4) or (7), F.S., which have been sustained, and the officer is not separated from employment
• Receipt of a signed verifiable complaint that contains specific allegations of non-compliance by an officer, pursuant to Section 943.13(4) or (7), F.S., to include the complainant’s name and return address
• Receipt of newspaper articles indicating an arrest or violation of moral character by an officer
• When a Field Specialist determines ineligibility due to a non-favorable inspection of documents discovered during an audit or review of files
• Information developed by the Professional Compliance Section indicating that an officer has been arrested or is in violation of Commission-ordered probation

Requests for Additional Information

The Professional Compliance Section shall evaluate the case information to determine if grounds for disciplinary action exist. If the information received is not sufficient, the Professional Compliance Section shall request additional information that includes, but is not limited to:

• Arrest Reports
• Certified judgments and sentencing documents
• Criminal investigations
• Depositions or statements
• Internal affairs reports
• Physical evidence or description of same
• Report summary (synopsis of investigation)
• Tape recordings (video or audio)
• Witness list (name, address, and telephone number of individuals involved in the case)