Answer: You may be eligible for an exemption from the full basic training requirements if you were an officer in another state or with the federal government and meet the following requirements:

• You worked at least one year, full-time as a sworn officer (not to include time spent within the basic recruit academy) in the discipline you are seeking exemption [CJSTC Rule 11B-35.009(1)(g)];
• You received training in that discipline which is comparable to Florida’s full basic recruit curriculum and/or;
• You were previously certified in Florida.

There can be no more than an 8-year break in employment as an officer. The break in employment is measured from the separation date of the most recent qualifying employment to the time a complete application requesting an exemption from training is submitted to a Criminal Justice Selection Center, such as the Police Applicant Screening Service (PASS), Commission-certified training school, or criminal justice employing agency.

Once you are approved for an exemption from training, you will need to demonstrate proficiency in the high liability areas and pass the state certification exam in the same discipline within 1 year of receipt of the approved Exemption from Training CJSTC Form 76.

If you do not complete the training and pass the State Officer Certification Examination within the 1-year time limit, you may apply for another exemption from training, but you must be eligible pursuant to Chapter 943.131(2), F.S. at the time of application.

Answer: The EOT process has three parts:

• (Step 1) EOT Verification (Required) – This part is done by an approved FDLE entity such as the Police Applicant Screening Service (PASS), to establish your qualifications. This is the only step of the EOT process handled by PASS.
• (Step 2) Proficiency Demonstration (Required) – This part is done as part of a training course (usually one to two weeks in length) conducted by a Commission-certified training center, such as the St. Petersburg College. During the training course, you must demonstrate proficiency in certain physical skills such as defensive tactics and firearms. The training center will also provide you with study materials and help you prepare for the required written examination which is the final step of the EOT process. Our office does not conduct this training. You will need to contact a certified training center, using the information provided on the instructions which accompany the EOT Evaluation Application or the links on our website.
• (Step 3) State Officer Certification Examination (SOCE) (Required) – The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) requires this test which is administered at the St. Petersburg College or other Commission-certified testing facilities. 

Answer: While PASS must still verify employment and training by contacting the institutions in question, you must also supply us with documentation that supports your claim of eligibility for the EOT exemption. Examples of helpful documents:

• An officer training profile maintained by an employer, a state certification authority such as POST or CJSTC, a military profile from VMET or AKO Account, or other officer training profiles maintained by an authorized government agency.
• Your basic/recruit academy diploma and the summary outline of its basic recruit training curriculum.
• A certificate or other credential issued to you by a state or federal certification authority that shows your compliance with law enforcement or correctional officer certification requirements in the state (or federal entity) upon which your EOT claim is based.
• Annual evaluations or reviews for the time you claim as qualifying employment on your EOT Application.  These can help establish that your employment was as an officer with duties (such as bearing arms, making arrests, conducting investigations, enforcing traffic regulations, investigating traffic crashes, supervising inmates, etc.) that support your EOT claim.  These can be particularly helpful in establishing whether or not a military police assignment included law enforcement duties.
• Training records related to the high liability training areas listed in the instructions that accompany the EOT Evaluation Application Form.  These records may be certificates of attendance or excerpts from regular training records made by your employer or a training center.
• A letter from your commanding officer or agency chief which confirms the service as law enforcement or correctional officer as claimed on your EOT Application.

Examples of documents that are not usually helpful:

• College degrees or diplomas for education or training unrelated to basic recruit training.
• Certificates or diplomas for specialized courses such as K-9, SWAT, Fingerprint classification, or other areas unrelated to basic recruit training.

Answer: You should allow at least four weeks for this step of the process. A majority of verifications will take less but PASS cannot predict how quickly employers or training institutions will respond to our verification requests.

Answer: Yes. Submit a complete (do not leave blank contact person, email, and fax numbers) application along with supporting documents, and respond in a timely manner to any request we make for additional information. You should also consider calling the employer(s) and/or training institution(s) used as the basis for your qualifications and ask them to reply quickly to our verification requests. This is much more helpful than calling us to ask why we have not yet received answers to our verification requests. Problem areas that often slow down an evaluation:

•  An illegible, incomplete or ambiguous application form, missing contact information

•  Incomplete or inaccurate addresses, emails, or fax numbers

• With large agencies or institutions, failure to provide the address of the specific office that handles verifications, causing inquiries to go astray in a large internal mail/phone system.

Answer: Research. Remember, if you don’t know or can’t find the correct dates, course titles, names and addresses to support your own claim it is doubtful that PASS will be able to complete your evaluation in a timely manner and make a convincing case that you are eligible for the program.

Answer: PASS will issue you an exemption from Florida’s Basic Recruit Training (police or corrections academy). This exemption will be issued on a Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission (CJSTC) Form 76. You will need this form to continue in the process. You will be required to acknowledge receipt of the 76 Form in writing in order for it to become valid. You will have one year from that acknowledgment to complete a Proficiency Demonstration training course AND pass the State Officer Certification Examination (SOCE).

Answer: The exemption from the basic recruit training will not be validated and your application will expire.

Answer: If you do not complete the training and pass the State Officer Certification Examination within the 1-year time limit, you may apply for another exemption from training, but you must be eligible pursuant to Chapter 943.131(2), F.S. at the time of application.

Answer: You have four years from the date that you started your training course for your EOT to become employed.

Answer: If you do not get employed in a sworn position within four years of the start date of the training course for the EOT, you can apply for another EOT provided you are still eligible (see the answer for What are the qualifications that I must meet?) or you would have to complete a full basic recruit academy.

Answer: A Florida state-certified instructor must observe you demonstrate the knowledge, skills and abilities required in the following subject areas:

For Law Enforcement Officers: Firearms Performance Evaluation, First Aid For Criminal Justice Officers, Defensive Tactics Performance Evaluation, and Vehicle Operations Performance Evaluation.

For Correctional Officers (and Probation Officers): Firearms Performance Evaluation, First Aid For Criminal Justice Officers, Defensive Tactics Performance Evaluation.

This is normally done at a certified training institution and will require you to attend a class that provides safe and trustworthy circumstances for the demonstration.

Such classes usually take one week for the Proficiency Demonstration and a second week for the SOCE review material. Tuition prices reflect the use of school-provided equipment such as firearms and vehicles, the use of firearms ranges and driving facilities, and substantial labor costs to ensure a safe ratio of specialized instructors to students.

Upon completion of the course, the institution will provide you with documentation that you have demonstrated the required proficiency on a CJSTC Form 76-A (Proficiency Demonstration). Remember, you must first have your CJSTC Form 76 (Exemption) in hand to enter and receive credit for the Proficiency Demonstration training course.

To learn more about the training course and proficiency demonstration, we recommend that you use the link on our website to the following training center or contact them at:

St. Petersburg College

St. Petersburg College Allstate Center
3200-34th Street South
St. Petersburg FL 33711
Telephone: 727-341-4490

Answer: While the review is optional, we believe most people will find it difficult to do well on the examination without having an opportunity to review the material. Remember, the examination is the same one given to cadets who have just graduated from a full Curriculum Maintenance System (CMS) police academy, using scenario-based training techniques over approximately seventeen weeks of full-time instruction. While your former training and experience will be helpful in most topics, some of the nomenclature and concepts may be presented in ways that are new to you. This can affect your performance on the written SOCE. Failure rates for the SOCE are quite high for those who fail to study the material. Failure rates for those who do study are quite low. Inanimate things like written exams are difficult to bluff, so don’t say we didn’t warn you.

The Southeastern Public Safety Institute (SEPSI) mentioned elsewhere in this FAQ offers the review course and can provide you with details or answer your questions concerning the training and examination.

Answer: The St. Petersburg College administers the SOCE in this area. The training center you use for the Proficiency Demonstration will also help you schedule a SOCE. You can also check the FDLE website, or contact the St Petersburg College mentioned above. Remember, you must first have your CJSTC Form 76 (Exemption) and CJSTC Form 76-A (Proficiency Demonstration) in hand to prove your eligibility to take the SOCE.