TCOLE Information
As of August 14, 2023, ALERRT will report all
the TCOLE hours for all direct delivery and online training conducted by ALERRT.
Students' agencies are responsible for reporting all indirect and/or informal
training hours using the certificate generated on a student's online ALERRT account.
See below for more information.
Senate Bill SB1852
Senate Bill 1852, in effect September 1, 2023 essentially mandates the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) to adjust the minimum training requirements so that all Texas Peace Officers must attend a minimum of 16 hours of ALERRT active shooter training per 2 year training cycle. The bill also amends sections of the Occupations Code which governs law enforcement continuing education.
See the actual bill
here: SB1852
See which ALERRT Courses count for the mandate below.
Definitions
Train the Trainer Course (TtT) A Train the Trainer Course (TtT) course is an instructor level course designed to certify students so that they may instruct all or portions of the associated users level course to their own and partner agencies. E.g., a successful graduate of a Level 1 TtT may then instruct blocks from, or the entire 2-day Level 1 curriculum to their own agency. Those courses may also be supported by ALERRT Logistics.
Certified Instructor (CI) A Certified Instructor (CI) is a student who has successfully completed an ALERRT Train the Trainer (TtT) course. This certification enables a successful graduate of a Level 1 TtT, for example to then instruct blocks from, or the entire 2-day Level 1 curriculum to their own agency.
Adjunct Instructor (AI) An Adjunct Instructor is an independent contractor who is hired and paid by ALERRT to deliver direct delivery classes of the various curriculums.
Direct Delivery A direct delivery class is any in-person course of the ALERRT suite of classes that is completely supported by the ALERRT Center with Adjunct Instructors, materials and equipment.
Indirect Delivery An Indirect Delivery is any in-person course of the ALERRT suite of classes that is instructed by local Certified Instructors. ALERRT may or may not be able to support indirect delivery classes with materials and equipment.
ALERRT e-Learning ALERRT offers several online courses and webinars on their e-Learning site. Some of the courses are reportable to TCOLE and POST. See the courses here: elearning.alerrt.org
Instructor Resources Once a student successfully completes any ALERRT
Train the Trainer (TtT) course they are given permission to access the
instructor resources for that particular course. Resources include the manual,
PowerPoints, related videos, tests and course paperwork. To access the
resources instructors must have an ALERRT profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will I receive TCOLE Credit for ALERRT training?
Yes. As of August 14, 2023, ALERRT will report all the TCOLE hours for all direct delivery and online training conducted by ALERRT in Texas. For indirect and informal training, as well as other states, your agency is responsible for reporting your training hours. See below for more information on reporting responsibility and which courses count toward TCOLE credit and the SB1852.
Who is responsible for reporting my ALERRT training?
As of August 14, 2023, ALERRT will report all the TCOLE hours for all direct delivery in Texas and online training.
Your agency is responsible for reporting all your indirect and/or informal training hours using the certificate generated on your online ALERRT account. Individuals who are not currently commissioned but are maintaining their TCOLE license, or your home agency does not report to TCOLE, must attend an ALERRT training class through a TCOLE contractual training provider or training academy. Training providers contracted through TCOLE are solely located in Texas and have the ability to report training for all licensees. Please ensure the course you are enrolling in is being hosted by an agency that can report the hours to TCOLE if your agency cannot. If you are unsure, please contact the host of training to determine if you should report it through your agency. Individuals are unable to self-report to TCOLE.
Please refer to a list of providers by region here:
https://www.tcole.texas.gov/training-providers/region/1
When will my hours be reported to TCOLE?
Hours will be reported within the 30 day reporting window after you receive the certificate notification email.
Can my hours be entered right away or expedited somehow?
No, entries cannot be expedited and singular entries cannot be made.
Which ALERRT courses are TCOLE accepted and count toward SB1852 mandate?
o ALERRT Level I (3311)
o ALERRT Level I - TtT (3315)
o ALERRT Update (3312) 1-24 hours reportable
o ALERRT First Responder Breaching (3317)
o ALERRT First Responder Breaching - TtT (3376)
o ALERRT First Responder Operating in Low-Light (3318)
o ALERRT Active Attack Integrated Response (3381)
o ALERRT Active Attack Integrated Response - TtT (3380)
o ALERRT Solo Officer Rapid Deployment (3382)
o ALERRT Solo Officer Rapid Deployment - TtT (3392)
o ALERRT First Responder Medical (3357)
o ALERRT First Responder Medical - TtT (3393)
o ALERRT Exterior Response to Active Shooter Events (3394)
o ALERRT Exterior Response to Active Shooter Events - TtT (3377)
o ALERRT Medical Advanced Skills Course (3606)
o ALERRT Active Shooter Incident Management (3607)
o ALERRT Level 1 Train-the-Trainer Instructor Recertification - Online - Payment Required (3355)
o Active Attack Event Response Leadership - Online (667371)
o Active Attack Emergency Communications - Online (78052)
o ALERRT Fire as a Weapon – Online (3356)
Which ALERRT courses do NOT count toward SB1852 mandate?
o ALERRT Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events - TtT (3604)
o ALERRT Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events - TtT – online (3364)
o ALERRT Civilian Response and Casualty Care - TtT (3378)
These courses DO qualify for TCOLE training hours, but do not count toward the 16 hours of mandated ALERRT training.
Can I meet all 16 of my TCOLE mandated ALERRT hours with online training?
No. ALERRT currently hosts 11 hours of online training that will satisfy the TCOLE mandate. See course list above. In the future, ALERRT will be developing additional online courses that will satisfy the mandate.
**** ALERRT highly recommends that at least 1/2 of your active attack training be obtained by attendance in an in-person course, where students engage in activities that build muscle memory and offer exposure to conditions and stimuli that can not be recreated online.
Will TCOLE allow a course curriculum to be split into smaller blocks of instruction and/or delivered over time?
Yes. Any agency teaching an indirect delivery of a full course can break up that curriculum into smaller blocks such as 2, 4, or 8 hours.
E.g., a 2-day Level 1 user course can be broken down into 2-hour blocks that can be delivered over several months at the convenience of the agency. See also TCOLE Reporting below for how to report hours in this configuration.
How
do we report TCOLE hours if a full course is delivered in blocks?
If
an ALERRT course curriculum is indirectly delivered in blocks, TCOLE reporting on
TCLEDDS will happen one time at the end of the last block using the course
completion date of the last day. It is still a TCOLE requirement to have daily
sign in TCOLE rosters for their records, and is the agency’s responsibility to
manage rostering, attendance and documentation over that time.
E.g.,
an agency delivers a 16-hour Level 1 course in 4-hour blocks once a week for 4
weeks. The agency will complete and maintain all TCOLE requirements such as
daily rosters and then upload a single TCOLE roster to TCLEDDS to report the full
16 hours one time at the end of the 4 weeks using the last instructor day as
the end date of the course. A full course curriculum can be delivered in
blocks but cannot be reported in blocks.
Yes. TCOLE will allow for teaching stand-alone individual modules from any ALERRT course. However, these smaller blocks will be reported separately as individual courses using the ALERRT Update number of 3312. See ALERRT Update below for more information.
E.g., an agency wants just to train on the tourniquet section of the Level 1 Direct Threat Care module for one hour. The hour will be reported under 3312 as a stand-alone report. The agency is responsible for recording and reporting which module or subject was covered in their training records as well as the notes field on the TCLEDDS rostering site.
Online training courses can be found on the ALERRT e-Learning site.
How is the ALERRT update number of 3312 utilized?
An agency can use 3312 - ALERRT Update number to report continuing training for maintenance, updates and/or delivering stand-alone individual ALERRT modules. Providers will need to submit a detailed description in the notes section of TCLEDDS denoting which course module they are training from. To qualify, the 3312 training must be fragments of ALERRT courses and must go by the approved lesson plans. The 3312 Update can be used from 1 to 24 hours per training cycle.
Will I still get TCOLE credit hours if I fail the course?
If a student fails a 2- or 3-day user course, then no TCOLE credit hours will be given.
If a student successfully passes the first 2 days of a 40-hour train-the-trainer course, but fails the instructor portion of the class, they may still earn 16 or 24 hours for the user course. Partial credit will only be given for a student who attends and attempts to pass the instructor portion of the 40 hour course.
E.g. A student successfully completes the first 2 days of a Level 1 TtT to include passing the post test, but fails the instructor teach back later in the week, therefore, they will only receive credit for 16 TCOLE hours and a certificate of attendance for the remainder of the TtT course.
Yes. if the hosting agency is not reporting, agencies can report their own TCOLE hours from any of the above listed courses. However, TCOLE Contract Training providers, academies and academic alternative providers will still be required to report any training they host. When an agency reports any of their own training hours, they will need to submit the roster with the PID of the instructor with ALERRT CI status.
Where can I get more specific information?
For more information regarding the bill, see SB1852. Visit the TCOLE website and see the TCOLE Training Provider resources page which includes examples, requirements, suggestions and downloadable guidelines.
Additional Materials
Need an ALERRT.org account? Create your account at alerrt.org/register. If there is not a corresponding Agency available, please use Self Sponsor of fill out an Agency Request.
Click here for instructions on registering for a class that is open for online registration.
For additional information or support contact tcole@alerrt.org