MTI Law Enforcement Academy approved as testing site

(Bradenton, FL—February 12, 2014)

The Manatee Technical Institute Law Enforcement Academy has been approved as a testing site for the state exam that certifies law enforcement officers. The State Certification Examination for Law Enforcement is the required test to become a Certified Law Enforcement Officer in the State of Florida. MTI offered the online test for the first time on February 10.

“In the past, students have had to travel to different locations throughout the state, such as Jacksonville, Tallahassee, Miami and Tampa for scheduled paper and pencil examinations,” said MTI Academy Director Jay Romine. “Depending on the location, the graduate might have to wait months to attend a convenient location for testing. Now they can register and sit for the exam three days after completion of the program. They get immediate test results, as well, instead of having to wait several days for the results to be tabulated and posted.”

Robert French graduated from the MTI Law Enforcement Academy on February 5. “Being able to take the test locally was awesome. It was painless compared to what friends of mine went through to take the test a few years ago,” he said. “It was nice to walk out and know that I passed, rather than waiting for days or weeks—I knew my results within 15 minutes.”

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has been in the process of transitioning from paper and pencil exams to computer based exams for two years. The FDLE will mandate that all State Officer Certification Examinations be online as of July 1, 2014. There will be no more paper and pencil exams at that time.

The test consists of 200 questions and the computer allows three hours to complete it. After three hours has passed, the computer will no longer allow the tester to continue. Pearson Vue is the administrator of the exam.

The MTI test site is open to students from all over the state, and MTI is able to schedule the exams at any time. Currently 19 of 40 training centers have completed the process and have been approved to be testing centers.

Academy Coordinator Lesley Chevalier spearheaded the efforts to get the MTI Academy approved to offer the online testing. “Coordinator Chevalier worked tirelessly to get this goal accomplished,” said Director Romine. “This is another way that we are able to serve our students and expedite their entry into the work force. We are very happy to be able to provide this service.”

Successful completion of the Law Enforcement Academy at MTI makes one eligible to take the State Officer Certification Examination for Law Enforcement. For more information on the MTI Law Enforcement Academy, please contact Director Romine at rominej@manateeschools.net.