Jump to content
Photograph of Highway Patrol Trooper
Montana Department of Justice  ·  Law Enforcement

Home

Online Services

Quick Links

Certification Requirements

The laws that govern POST certification in Montana are found in Sections 7-32-303 and 44-4-401 of the Montana Code Annotated and Administrative Rules, 23.14.4 and 23.14.5. The following requirements are based on administrative rule. Please contact POST with any questions about these requirements.

Law Enforcement Officer Certificate Requirements

Law Enforcement Basic Certificate

  1. Complete Basic at the Montana Law Enforcement Academy (MLEA)
  2. 1 year employment with the same agency

Law Enforcement Intermediate Certificate

  1. 5 years and 300 POST hours
  2. 4 years and 400 POST hours
  3. 4 years and 200 POST hours with AA Degree
  4. 3 years and 150 POST hours with BA or BS Degree

Law Enforcement Advanced Certificate

  1. 10 years and 600 POST hours
  2. 8 years and 800 POST hours
  3. 8 years and 450 POST hours with AA Degree
  4. 6 years and 350 POST hours with BA or BS Degree
  5. 4 years and 250 POST hours with Masters Degree

Law Enforcement Supervisory Certificate

  1. Shall possess the INTERMEDIATE Certificate
  2. Shall successfully complete the Supervisory course at MLEA or equivalent
  3. Shall currently and for one year serve at the Supervisory level prior to application
  4. A first-level Supervisor is a position above the operational level for which commensurate pay is authorized
  5. Principally responsible for the direct supervision of employees or is subject to assignment of such responsibilities and most commonly the rank of Sergeant

Law Enforcement Command Certificate

  1. Shall possess the INTERMEDIATE Certificate
  2. Shall successfully complete the Command or Mid-Management course at MLEA or equivalent
  3. Shall currently and for one year serve at the Command or Mid-Management level prior to application
  4. A first-level command is a position above the Supervisory level for which commensurate pay is authorized
  5. Principally responsible for directing and coordinating functional units of an agency or is subject of such responsibilities and most commonly the rank of Lieutenant or Captain

Law Enforcement Administrative Certificate

  1. Shall possess the ADVANCED Certificate
  2. Shall successfully complete the Administrative or Management course at MLEA or equivalent
  3. Shall currently and for one year serve at the Administrative or Management level prior to application
  4. The Administrative or Management level is the top position for which commensurate pay is authorized
  5. Responsible for the agency and has broad administrative authority and most commonly the rank of Chief, Assistant Chief, Sheriff, Undersheriff or Captain with administrative authority
  6. 320 hours of Administrative type courses such as National FBI Academy, or NW Traffic

Detention Officer Certificate Requirements

Grandfather Clause – Correction officers employed prior to October 1, 1999 are not required to become POST certified. If they choose to become certified, they do not have to attend MLEA Basic courses.

Detention Officer Basic Certificate

  1. Complete Basic at MLEA
  2. 1 year employment with the same agency

Detention Officer Intermediate Certificate

  1. Shall possess the BASIC Certificate
  2. 4 years and 100 hours
  3. 5 years and 80 hours
  4. 4 years and 70 hours with AA Degree
  5. 3 years and 70 hours with BA or BS Degree

Detention Officer Advanced Certificate

  1. Shall possess the INTERMEDIATE Certificate and a minimum of 80 hours of professional courses such as:
    • Incident Command System
    • Collection/Preservation Of Evidence
    • 1st Responder
    • Weaponless Defensive Tactics (WDT)
    • Suicide Prevention
    • Interpersonal Communication
    • Crime Scene Preservation
    • Correspondence Courses through NSA, AJA, ACA (must be recognized by the POST Council and the final test must be monitored)
    • NIC self instructional courses
    • Leadership courses offered at MLEA
    • Advanced firearms
    • Reid Techniques of Interviewing and Interrogation
    • Instructional Theory into Practice (ITIP)
    In addition to the above 80 hours applicant needs one of the following:
  2. 8 years and 40 hours
  3. 10 years and 30 hours
  4. 8 years and 20 hours with AA Degree
  5. 6 years and 20 hours with BA, BS or Masters Degree

Detention Officer Supervisory Certificate

  1. Shall possess the ADVANCED Certificate
  2. Must have completed the Supervisory course at MLEA or equivalent as designated by the POST Council
  3. Must currently and for one year served satisfactorily as a first level supervisor prior to application

Detention Officer Command Certificate

  1. Shall possess the SUPERVISORY Certificate
  2. Must have completed the Command or Mid-Management course at MLEA or equivalent designated by POST (minimum 40 hour Mid-Management Type Course)
  3. Shall currently and for one year served satisfactorily at a Command or Mid-Management level prior to application
  4. The Command level is a position above the first line supervisor for which commensurate pay is authorized
  5. Detention Officers with out-of-state experience and training at the Command Level who are employed must have:
    • served one year in that level
    • completed a course or equivalent as described in 2 above
    • a background review by the POST Council

Detention Officer Administrator Certificate

  1. Shall possess the ADVANCED Certificate
  2. Must have completed the Administrative or Management course at MLEA or equivalent as designated by the POST Council (minimum of 80 hours administrative type course)
  3. Shall currently and for one year served satisfactorily at the Administrative or Management level prior to application
  4. The Administrative level is above the operational level for which commensurate pay is authorized
  5. Detention Officers with out-of-state experience and training at the Administrative level who are employed at that level by a detention/holding facility are eligible for the Administrators Certificate if they:
    • currently and for one-year served at that level
    • completed an Administrative course recognized by the POST Council as equivalent to requirements in Montana
    • passed the POST Council background review of the officers training, education, and experience in determining eligibility for the Administrative Certificate

Juvenile Corrections/Detention Officer Certificate Requirements

Juvenile Corrections/Detention Officer Basic Certificate

  1. Complete Basic at MLEA
  2. One year employment with the same agency

Adult Probation/Parole Officer Certificate Requirements

Adult Probation/Parole Basic Certificate

  1. Complete Basic at MLEA
  2. One year employment with the same agency

Adult Probation/Parole Continuing Employment

Correction officers employed prior to October 1, 1999 are not required to become POST certified. If they choose to become certified, they do not have to attend MLEA Basic courses.

Juvenile Probation/Parole Officer Certificate Requirements

Juvenile Probation/Parole Basic Certificate

  1. Complete the 40 hour Basic at MLEA
  2. One year employment with the same agency

Public Safety Communicators Certificate Requirements

Public Safety Communicators Basic Certificate

  1. Complete Basic at MLEA
  2. Six months employment with the same agency

Public Safety Communicators Intermediate Certificate

  1. Shall possess the PSC Basic and one year with the same agency
  2. 4 years and 40 hours
  3. 5 years and 30 hours
  4. 4 years and 20 hours with AA Degree
  5. 3 years and 20 hours with BA or BS Degree

Public Safety Communicators Advanced Certificate

  1. Shall possess the INTERMEDIATE Certificate
  2. Must have completed 40 hours of professional development courses such as:
    • Haz Mat
    • EMD
    • Incident Command System
    • Legal Aspect Course recognized by POST Council
  3. 8 years and 40 hours
  4. 10 years and 30 hours
  5. 8 years and 20 hours with AA Degree
  6. 6 years and 20 hours with BA or BS or Masters Degree

Public Safety Communicators Supervisory Certificate

  1. Shall possess the INTERMEDIATE Certificate
  2. Must have completed the Supervisory Course at MLEA or the equivalent
  3. Shall currently and for one-year served satisfactorily at the Supervisory level
  4. Out-of-state Communicators who are employed at that level are eligible if they complete the following:
    • served in the Supervisory Level for at least one-year
    • the POST Council determines if the training is equivalent to Montana Requirements
    • must complete an equivalency test approved by the POST Council and administered by MLEA
    • applicant must pass with at 75% or more
  5. If the applicants fail the equivalency test, they must complete the Supervisory course at MLEA
  6. The applicant must complete the Legal School at MLEA
  7. This position is above the operational level for which commensurate pay is authorized

Public Safety Communicators Command Certificate

  1. Shall possess the SUPERVISORY Certificate
  2. Must have completed the Command or Mid-Management course at MLEA or the equivalent (minimum of 40 hours of Mid-Management type courses)
  3. Shall currently and for one year served satisfactorily at the Command or Mid-Management level prior to the date of appointment
  4. Out-of-state experience and training must:
    • currently and for one-year have served at the Command or Mid-Management level
    • completed a Command or Mid-Management course recognized by the POST Council
    • pass a POST Council background review

Public Safety Communicators Administrators Certificate

  1. Possess the ADVANCED Certificate
  2. Must have completed the Administrative or Management course at MLEA or the equivalent as designated by the POST Council (minimum of 80 hours)
  3. Shall currently and for one-year served satisfactorily at the Administrative or Management level
  4. Out-of-state experience and training must:
    • currently and for one-year have served at the Command or Mid-Management level
    • completed a Command or Mid-Management course recognized by the POST Council
    • pass a POST Council background review

Instructor Certificate Requirements

Instructor Original Certificate Requirements

  1. Submit an Instructor's Application marked "Original"
  2. Must have at least one of the following:
    • three years of experience in the specific field or subject matter (POST Council may waive this requirement)
    • a BA/BS or higher degree
    • if no degree, must have a minimum of a high school/GED diploma
    • complete 80 hours of DARE Training
  3. Successfully complete a 40-hour instructor development course approved by POST
  4. Submit a sample lesson plan in applicant's own words, doesn't have to be for the class they intend to instruct. Can be from the instructor development course. Must include:
    • a goal statement describing the training and performance objectives
    • a list of all required equipment and/or materials for the training; one or two references supporting the training
    • the complete course outline that an instructor would use to instruct from
    • a copy of student manual if used for the training
      Note: If you are instructing a "canned" course, you must submit a copy of the program instructor manual and student manual to be filed with POST
  5. Applicant must have the endorsement of the agency or MLEA department head
  6. Original certification, if POST Council approved, is valid for 24 months

Additional POST Instructor Certifications

Follow the same procedure as outlined for first certification above, with the exception that instructors do not have to produce a lesson plan for the additional subject(s). Include documentation of the training that qualifies for "Instructor" status in the respective subject(s).

Instructor Renewal Certificate Requirements

  1. Submit an Instructor's Application marked "Renewal"
  2. A brief paragraph stating how the applicant has stayed current in each individual subject over the last two years including documentation such as:
    • periodicals/training literature
    • training classes/course titles/hours of training received by applicant
  3. Include a list of courses that were taught by the instructor. The list should include:
    • course title/schedule
    • number of hours of course
    • subject matter
    • location of courses applicant taught
    • hours taught by applicant