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In congressional testimony, NTEU urged a House panel to provide funding to boost staffing and ensure necessary health and safety protocols at the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Training Centers (FLETC).
NTEU Chapter 338 represents 700 FLETC instructors who provide law enforcement training to most federal agents and officers.
“FLETC’s lack of funding is negatively impacting the mission and the quality of training for federal law enforcement officers,” National President Tony Reardon told members of the House Homeland Security Appropriations Committee. “FLETC has too few instructors to teach students and instructors’ skills are not being regularly updated by FLETC. The student-to-teacher ratio has diminished, and students are being shortchanged.”
Reardon asked for fiscal 2023 funding to hire at least 25 additional FLETC instructors and support staff.
The NTEU leader also urged lawmakers for funding to implement mitigation strategies addressing COVID-19 outbreaks at FLETC facilities and establish reliable safety protocols on campuses.
“Over the past two years, there have been several mass COVID outbreaks at various FLETC locations,” Reardon said. “NTEU has expressed continuing concerns that FLETC’s lack of sufficient COVID prevention protocols puts law enforcement personnel assigned there at risk.”
Last week, FLETC announced it was suspending training operations at its Glynco, Ga., center due to a rise in COVID-19 cases.