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Brevard Police Testing & Selection Center
3865 N Wickham Rd., Bldg. 8
Melbourne, FL 32935

321-433-5638
321-433-5640

James Gibbons, Director
321-433-5639
gibbensj@easternflorida.edu

Kris Boyd, Investigator 
321-433-5641
boydk@easternflorida.edu

Maria "Teri" Avina, Investigator
321-433-5642
avinat@easternflorida.edu

Listra Daniel, Office Manager
321-433-5638
daniell@easternflorida.edu

EOT Review Process

Upcoming EOT Training Options at EFSC Public Safety Institute

Februrary 2024 Program: Class Feb. 12-20, 2024; State Exam Feb. 22, 2024
June 2024 Program: Class June 10-18, 2024; State Exam June 20, 2024
October 2024 Program: Class Oct. 14-22, 2024; State Exam Oct. 24, 2024

The Brevard Police Testing Center (BPTC) offers an Equivalency of Training (EOT) review service for officers who are trying to become certified in Florida through the equivalency process. You must submit documentation of your law enforcement/ corrections employment and training for an equivalency of training review.

Documentation must reflect at a minumum one (1) year, full-time prior law enforcement or corrections officer experience and successful completion in all of the minimum primary training areas.

Under Florida law an out-of-state or federal officer who wants to pursue Florida certification through the equivalency process, or an inactive Florida officer who wants new certification through this method, can be exempt from completing a Basic Recruit Training Program if the documentation submitted as part of this review process proves the officer is proficient in all of the required skills listed in the accordion below.

In order to qualify for this exemption and be eligible for the shorter Equivalency of Training class, the officer's break in service can be no more than eight (8) years from the date of last qualifying employment.

Qualifying for equivalency on the basis of being certified in another state, federal service, or military law enforcement is not guaranteed. Selection centers are held to strict standards by the applicable statutes and administrative codes, and the Department of Law Enforcement in reviewing training records. An applicant's training must be substantially the same as that received by a Florida officer.

Course prerequisites to qualify for Eastern Florida State College's EOT program:

Law Enforcement required classes for eight-day equivalency of training program

Corrections Officer prerequisites for equivalency of training program

PLEASE NOTE:  Once your Form 76 has been approved you will have one year, and no longer, to take a proficiency course, such as the one offered by Eastern Florida State College, AND pass the State Officer Certification Examination (SOCE), which is offered here at the BPTC. If you do not complete the training and pass the SOCE within the 1-year period, you may apply for another exemption from training, but you must be eligible pursuant to Chapter 943.131(2) at the time of application. BPTC will work with you on timing the approval of the Form 76 to coordinate with the course you will take. This will give you the most time to prepare for the SOCE and any necessary re-takes.

Click the steps below to use BPTC's EOT review service.
STEP 1: Complete the Equivalency of Training Review Process Application

Complete the EOT Application

To qualify, your employment records must establish that you were employed as a full-time (40 hours per week) sworn officer (authorized to bear arms and make arrests), either by working for a single agency for one full year, or for a cumulative twelve full months at two agencies within an eighteen-month period. Qualifying employment cannot include time spent in an academy, even if you were receiving pay while attending. There cannot be more than an 8-year gap from the end of your most recent qualifying employment to the submission of your complete EOT Application.Formerly certified Florida officers with more than four (4) but less than eight (8) years of separation of service must also complete the EOT process.

Employments that typically do not establish EOT qualification are seasonal, part-time, reserve (civilian or military), volunteers, military security forces, military vessel-boarding teams, etc. The addresses you provide must be complete and must be for the specific office that is authorized to provide verifications for training or employment. The application must be notarized. We verify all qualifications.

The original application must be mailed in or dropped of in person as explained in the last step.

STEP 2: Review BPTC Honesty and Integrity Guidelines

Law enforcement officers are expected to maintain the good moral character that gained them their positions at the beginning of a career.

It is critical that your BPTC application and other law enforcement applications consistently disclose any and all issues regarding your conduct. Most often we find that it is not the issues themselves that result in disqualification, but failure to disclose the issues, which can constitute falsification of the application process. Any falsification will result in disqualification.

If you have questions about such standards or your ability to meet them, please contact the agency(s) where you intend to seek employment. The Sheriff and Chiefs of Police of Brevard County have established minimum standards for applicants to the basic academy that would apply to EOT applicants.

Further disqualification issues can be found in the Good Moral Character section of the Florida Administrative Code, Section 11B-27.

STEP 3: Execute FDLE Release of Information Waiver

Execute the waiver we need to verify your training and employment, FDLE "Authority For Release of Information" (CJSTC Form 58). This waiver must also be notarized and must be mailed or dropped off in person.

STEP 4: Submit All Training and Employment Documentation

This step may be completed at the same time you submit the application, FDLE waiver, and money order or it may be completed after those are submitted.

This is the only step in the review process where the materials can be submitted via attachments to an email or they can be dropped off or mailed.

In documenting your training, our experience at BPTC shows that the most common shortfalls are in the high-liability areas of First Aid and Emergency Vehicle Operations, courses for which Florida officers receive at least a full week of training in each. Some specialized agencies train only in investigations and do not train in patrol or traffic; conversely, some omit investigations altogether if that is not part of the agency mission.

We will work closely with an applicant to help him or her achieve the required minimum training. This is usually best accomplished in the applicant's current locale. Call 321-433-5639 if you have questions about training prior to applying for our review process.

You must submit documentation (course curriculum and certificate of completion) showing that you completed training in all the required subjects listed below for your discipline (law enforcement or corrections).

This training may be from your employer, an accredited college, or a certified state, local, or federal training academy.

Our evaluation is a careful comparison of your training with Florida standards.

Please provide a detailed curriculum valid at the time you received your training. These are the EOT subject areas to be evaluated:

Law Enforcement Comparable Training

  • Law Enforcement Legal Issues
  • Criminal Justice Communications and Report
  • Writing
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Weapons
  • Defensive Tactics
  • First Responder or Equivalent
  • Medical Training
  • Vehicle Operations
  • Investigations
  • Law Enforcement Patrol
  • Traffic Enforcement and Investigation

Corrections Comparable Training

  • Correctional Legal Issues
  • Report Writing
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Weapons
  • Defensive Tactics
  • First Responder or Equivalent
  • Correctional Facility Operations

Correctional Probation Comparable Training

  • Correctional Probation Officer Legal Issues
  • Report Writing
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Weapons
  • Defensive Tactics
  • First Responder or Equivalent
  • Probationer Supervision
Employment Documentation

Employment documentation must include proof of employment as a certified law enforcement officer for a minimum of one (1) year in a full time capacity, EXCLUDING TIME ATTENDING A BASIC ACADEMY.

If you have only one (1) year of full-time experience, it can be accumulated from no more than two (2) agencies in an eighteen- (18) month period.

Written documentation from your employer(s) must include:

  • exact dates of full-time employment
  • position title
Training Documentation

Written documentation from your employer or law enforcement training academy must include:

  • The training curriculum for the basic law enforcement training academy you attended.
  • A list of the in service training courses you attended.A list of the advance training courses you attended.
  • Diploma/certificate from basic recruit training (not required for in-service or advanced training).

NOTE: We will verify all of the materials you submit. Copies of certificates will be accepted with accompanying official transcripts. The equivalency evaluation will not proceed unless complete documentation is submitted.

STEP 5: Get a Money Order to Submit for the Application Fee

In order to initiate an equivalency evaluation you must submit an application fee of $350 for out-of-state officers, $200 for inactive Florida-certified applicants. Personal checks and cash will NOT be accepted. ALL FEES ARE NON-REFUNDABLE.

A money order made payable to the Brevard Police Testing Center is the only acceptable form of payment. Be sure to clearly print your own name on the money order in the space provided.

STEP 6: Mail or Bring All Required Items to BPTC

Mail or bring all the above to:
Brevard Police Testing Center
3865 N. Wickham Road, Bldg. 8
Melbourne, FL 32935

Questions? Call us at 321-433-5639

STEP 7: What Comes Next: CJSTC-76 Evaluation, Completing the Course & State Exam

BPTC conducts the curriculum and training evaluation and if you qualify, submits it to Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE).

When your evaluation is complete, the BPTC staff will send the approved applicant a copy of the CJSTC-76 form and approval letter in an email and will also send the 76 form and approval letter via certified mail.

You will then have 365 days from the date you receive that form to demonstrate High Liability Proficiency through attending the Equivalency of Training course required for your discipline (law enforcement or corrections).

This training can be completed at an approved training center such as Eastern Florida State College's Public Safety Institute and its Equivalency of Training Program. The Brevard Police Testing Center is located at the EFSC Public Safety Institute.

After successfully completeing the training, you must then pass the State Officer Certification Examination (SOCE), which is also offered at the Brevard Police Training Center.