Congresswoman Pou Homeland Security Training Bill Advances

Congresswoman Nellie Pou (D-NJ-09), a member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, celebrated the passage of her bill, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Basic Training Accreditation Improvement Act, through the Counterterrorism and Intelligence Subcommittee. The legislation mandates that the DHS Secretary work towards accreditation of all basic training programs for department staff through regular reports to Congress. 

“Protecting the American homeland depends on having experienced staff. And good training comes from rigorous training programs,” said Congresswoman Pou. “Unfortunately, because of pervasive loopholes in the law, too many training programs do not require accreditation. My legislation will mandate the prioritization of accrediting these programs so the men and women tasked with protecting America have the best training possible.”

According to the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers, accreditation “assigns rigor to training processes” and “results in the best product.” Unfortunately, several DHS law enforcement basic training programs are not accredited; the most notable unaccredited programs are the U.S. Border Patrol Academy, Customs and Border Protection’s Field Operations Academy Officer Basic Training Program, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ Officer Basic Training Program. In some cases, programs have been unaccredited for years. For example, the Border Patrol Academy submitted an application in 2006 but did not pursue accreditation further. This bill will improve law enforcement training programs to give officers the tools to continue to keep our communities safe.

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