Each year, U.S. law enforcement officers at the local, state, and federal level are killed or wounded in the line of duty, proof-positive that policing is a very dangerous profession. Even seemingly routine arrest warrant situations or domestic disturbance calls can turn deadly in an instant.
With the safety of all officers in mind, the FBI designed its Law Enforcement Training for Safety and Survival (LETSS) Program in 1992. Since then, we’ve trained thousands of FBI task force members, police officers, and international law enforcement personnel…at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia, regionally throughout the U.S., and internationally.
About the training.
The LETSS training is designed to give officers the skills and mindset required to identify and handle critical situations in high-risk environments. Basis survival techniques taught include hallway and stairway movement, room entry, clearing techniques, subject control, and handgun skills. Other sessions include: mental and physical preparation, arrest planning, ballistic shield deployment, low light operations, and use of motor vehicles in arrest situations.
The LETSS staff includes FBI agents and former military or police officers with an average of 20 years-on-the-job experience. These highly trained professionals are certified as FBI instructors in firearms, Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT), defensive tactics, and a variety of other disciplines.
The Overseas Survival Awareness Program.
In a related program, the FBI was certified in 2004 by the U.S. State Department to manage the Overseas Survival Awareness Program. Under that program, all American personnel and their spouses (excluding Department of Defense personnel) traveling overseas on any official U.S. Government business for 30 days or more are required to complete the appropriate level of personal security training before leaving the United States. The training covers such topics as defensive tactics, first aid, and personnel and facility security awareness.
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