How do I become a police officer?
An individual must first be employed by a law enforcement agency, and then the agency will “sponsor” the candidate to come to the Academy for the training.
What kind of training courses does the Academy offer?
The SC Criminal Justice Academy offers the basic mandated classes: Class 1 Law Enforcement Certification, Class 2 Detention Officer Certification, Class 3 Limited Duty Officer Certification, and Class 4 Telecommunications Officer Certification.
We also offer advanced training classes that are listed in our Master Training Schedule. This includes Basic Detective, Fingerprinting, Traffic, Firearms Instructor, Driving Instructor, Defensive Tactics Instructor, and Leadership classes to name a few.
Where can I get a list of courses that I have taken?
As an active officer with ACADIS access, you can print your training history through ACADIS. Go to the Training section on your profile, click Reports, then Training History Report.
If you are inactive, you can request a Training History transcript through our Certification Unit using this form: SCCJA Document Order Form.
What are the transfer requirements for officers from out-of-state?
All certified out-of-state LE candidates with more than one (1) year of law enforcement employment/experience (one year begins upon completion of training and subsequent employment) with a 3 year or less break in service are eligible for a Training Review.
To make a request for an out-of-state training review, an authorized official for the hiring agency must complete and submit the one-page Training Review Request Form along with the following required documentation prior to Registration:
- Certificate of Completion (BLE Course, Basic Corrections or Detention Course, or Federal Training Course)
- Curriculum/Syllabus showing hours and topics of training
- A completed POST letter that has been received from the out-of-state POST agency
- A Letter of Good Standing from the current or last agency the applicant was employed with
- Indication that a Letter of Good Standing has been requested for Federal/Military candidates; or a Verification of Employment Letter for SCDC Correction candidates
How do I create a portal account in ACADIS?
Once you are hired by a Law Enforcement Agency, and complete Registration if needed, your ACADIS Portal Account will become active.
1. Visit the ACADIS Portal website.
2. Click “Don’t have an account? Signup” below “Sign In”
3. Fill out the appropriate information, then click “Finish”
4. Go to your email and find the message sent to complete your signup request.
5. Click on the URL in the email and complete the security questions required for completion of the account setup.
6. Click “Continue” and if all questions were answered correctly, you should be able to accept the terms of use and create an account password. (If you are not directed to this screen, you need the Training Transcript from ACADIS and should check with your Training Officer.)
7. Once you’re finished creating a password, you should click “Submit” and continue to edit your profile.
How do I register for a class?
The training officer at your agency has the rights to register candidates for a class.
How many students are trained each year?
We graduated over 1,000 law enforcement officers and over 300 detention officers in 2023. We offered over 500 advanced training classes last year with over 9,000 officers trained.
How do I become a reserve department/set up reserve training?
Complete form by July 15th of each year
Register! Follow the rules!
A reserve officer is a non-paid (with exceptions to approved public activities) volunteer who assists a law enforcement agency in enforcing the laws of South Carolina. The reserve officer is appointed by and serves at the pleasure of the agency head.
A reserve officer candidate must successfully complete the SC Reserve Officer Training Program to include an end of course written examination prepared by the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy.
Every reserve officer must be in proximate contact, by radio or another device, with the full-time officer to whom he/she is assigned at all times. Reserve officers cannot supervise or direct activities of Class 1 or Class 3 law enforcement officers or other reserve officers.
How do I submit an instructor equivalency request?
First, check the CJA catalog to ensure the hours/curriculum are comparable. Equivalencies only given for certification classes (BID, SSI, FIS, Patrol Rifle Instructor).
Email a letter on letterhead signed by agency head (or TO if that is not same person). Include (1) name and Academy ID of officer, (2) equivalency being requested (3) name of course taken that’s equivalent. Also include certificate from course and other relevant course information (curriculum, number of hours, etc.). Submit to Lauren Fennell at lwfennell@sccja.sc.gov.
How do I get my departmental lesson plan approved?
Fill out the Departmental LP Cover Sheet and Approval Form on the Forms tab (fillable; submit to email listed at the top of the form).
If you have submitted this lesson plan before, use same lesson plan number.
How do I submit an institutional provider application?
Fill out the Institutional Provider Application for Course Approval online application found in the Forms tab.
Calculate the total hours of training based on your schedule; do not include lunch time in the calculation.
How do I submit an application for Patrol K9 team certification?
Follow the K9 certification guidelines found at the bottom of the Forms tab. Do NOT submit test sheets with the application. The application must be submitted by the officer’s training officer.
My new officer has a learning disability and needs accommodations. Where do I start?
Have THE OFFICER fill out the Application for Special Test Accommodations found on the Forms tab. This form should be submitted 15 days prior to training. Disability should be documented and signed by a doctor.
