LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- For the first time ever, active-duty Security Forces personnel had the opportunity to attend the Veterans Affairs Law Enforcement Training Center in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Tech Sgt. Robert Bolton, a 42nd Security Forces Squadron flight sergeant, completed the program with seven other active-duty defenders Dec. 17, 2021.
Bolton’s class were also among the first total force defenders to earn their DoD law enforcement credentials since the program recently received both DoD and federal accreditation.
The VA LETC program is a ten-week course where students cover topics such as searching and handcuffing, use of force, crime scenes, active threat response, barricaded subjects, tactical operations, traffic accident investigation, bomb threats and a tactical driving course among many others.
Previously the program was only attended by civilian defenders in order to receive their initial Federal Law Enforcement Training Accreditation as a law enforcement officer. The new initiative to send active-duty service members gives them the opportunity to attend the training center and share the knowledge they gain with other defenders.
“VA LETC pulls together students from all ranges of experiences and backgrounds,” said Bolton. “Some may have a background in confinement while others from civilian police departments. Many were prior-service military. Those experiences were used in a way that added to our training while still meeting the intent given from the Security Forces Center.”
Bolton says the program builds upon the training defenders receive in security forces technical school, where they cover the basics of their job in order to build a strong foundation.
“I have always stressed to other Airmen that we can all learn from anyone we encounter,” said Bolton. “This training did exactly that. Every student there had something to bring to the table. We used it, learned from it and brought it home with us. I feel better prepared with that knowledge and I’ve already started integrating it here at home.”