Air Force Security Force Airmen now eligible for law enforcement partial training waiver

The North Dakota National Guard along with the North Dakota Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) board recently announced a partial training waiver for U.S. Air Force trained Security Forces personnel who want to become North Dakota law enforcement officers.

This waiver would allow qualified U.S. Air Force Security Forces personnel to take the examination to become licensed North Dakota peace officers with a 2-week course, rather than current 12-week course. This waiver is already in effect for Army and Marine Corps trained military police.

"After obtaining the waiver for the Army and the Marine Corps military police we began the process of granting the waiver for the Air Force security forces," said Highway Patrol Lieutenant Dan Haugen, director of the North Dakota Law Enforcement training academy. "The Security Forces training program is accredited by FLETA (Federal Law Enforcement Training Accreditation), because of that we are able to offer the same waiver to trained security force Airmen as we do for Army and Marine Corps military police.

According to the North Dakota Administrative Code, "an individual having peace officer experience or having completed an equivalent basic full-time peace officer training course conducted in another state or by a federal law enforcement agency may qualify for a partial waiver of basic full-time peace officer training requirements".

"We appreciate the POST Board's support and willingness to work with us to put this waiver process in place," said Maj. Gen. Al Dohrmann, North Dakota adjutant general. "This waiver authority will benefit North Dakota National Guard members, as well as veterans transitioning to civilian careers, and will provide highly qualified law enforcement officers to fill vacant position in our law enforcement agencies."    

The Air Force Security Forces Academy Apprentice Course is designed to train non-prior service and prior service students to perform law enforcement and other duties as a Security Forces enlisted member. FLETA granted accreditation to the program in March 2012, and was reaccredited November 2016.