Advanced and Specialized Law Enforcement Courses

Interviews and Interrogations # 047 

This course features the introduction of a legally defensible evaluation process that has been implemented in hundreds of police agencies across the country. Using the pure "San Jose, California" model as its core, the student will learn how to develop a field training officer (FTO) program. Since an agency's effectiveness is directly related to the quality of its personnel, a well-conceived recruit management program is an absolute must, regardless of the organization's size and geographic location. Upon completion of the course, each participant will have gained the knowledge to develop an FTO program and fulfill the role of field training officer. This program is designed for the new FTO, the FTO who has not had formal training and shift supervisors of field training officers. While managers of FTO programs will find the training of great value, the course focus is on the FTO's role. The nature of the information is that which the FTO's immediate supervisor must have to effectively monitor and evaluate FTO and recruit performances alike. This course is approved for Salary Incentive.

Topics of instruction include:

This is a Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission Trust-Funded Course for Region IX. Officers in Region IX attend free of charge.

In order to attend, all officers are required to process the appropriate paperwork through their respective agencies.

For more information, please contact: Scott Johnson sjohnson2@hccfl.edu  or 813.253.7952.

CMS Handgun Instructor # 801

This course was organized & developed to enhance the knowledge, skills, and abilities of an individual to provide efficient and effective basic recruit firearms training to criminal justice personnel. It is based upon the premise that the primary objective of the basic recruit firearms instructor is to alert students to their responsibilities for safe and efficient handling of a handgun, handgun qualification (Day/Night), and fundamental skill development.

Pre-requisites: 

• Students must have 3 years’ experience in law enforcement prior to taking this course.
• Instructor students SHOULD possess a Florida General Instructor Certification prior to attending this course.

Topics of instruction include:

Course Completion Requirements: 

• Instructor-students must shoot 2 qualifying scores back-to-back on the NEW 2023 FDLE approved course of fire during daylight and nighttime conditions prior to beginning this class (the Pre-Qual).  **There is NO remediation for any part of this course.
• Instructor student must obtain a score of at least 85% on the written examination.

Required Equipment:

Ammunition Requirement:

***Students must bring receipts for ammunition on the 1st day of class for agency reimbursement

For more information, please contact: Scott Johnson sjohnson2@hccfl.edu  or 813.253.7952.

Search and Seizure

About the Instructor:

JP Nixon, senior consultant for the Odysseus Project, has been conducting law enforcement training throughout the US for over a decade.  A narcotics prosecutor by trade, Mr. Nixon is the former Director of a joint State/Federal task force, based out of Miami, Florida, that conducted complex international narco-money laundering investigations. 

Course Description:

Instead of the standard lecture on what you cannot do when acting under the color of law, this class zeros directly in on ways of fulfilling law enforcement objectives in the face of the law’s constraints.  Consisting of an interactive multi-media presentation designed to engage the students in thought and discussion with the instructor and each other while learning how to apply the Fourth Amendment to both basic and complex fact patterns.  An absolutely essential class for personnel at all levels, taught in a uniquely dynamic way.

Overview of Topics:

• How to Effectively Articulate Reasonable Suspicion and Probable Cause

• Searching Cars and Conveyances & Pretextual Detentions

• How to Secure Consent

• Knock & Talks and Consensual Encounters

• The Home, Curtilage & the Open Fields Doctrine

• Damaging or Destroying Property & Scope of the Search

• Exigencies, Sweeps, and Holding the Scene

• Managing Uncooperative Detainees

• Weapons Searches vs. Contraband Searches

• Use or Deployment of a K-9 in Various Contexts

• Detention, Seizures, and Custody – a Tactical Approach

• Hotels, Motels, and Other Criminal Forums of Convenience

Parking is located at the Palm Avenue Garage located on the corner of 9th Ave and Nuccio Parkway. Please park on the student side of the garage.

For more information, please contact: Scott Johnson sjohnson2@hccfl.edu  or 813.253.7952.

Proactive and Undercover Investigations

About the Instructor:

JP Nixon, senior consultant for the Odysseus Project, has been conducting law enforcement training throughout the US for over a decade.  A narcotics prosecutor by trade, Mr. Nixon is the former Director of a joint State/Federal task force, based out of Miami, Florida, that conducted complex international narco-money laundering investigations. 

Course Description:

This class covers the intersecting worlds of what is referred to as the dark arts employed in espionage, used for intelligence gathering, and law enforcement’s practical need to build cases that will stand up in court.  Presented in a multi-media format, involving the use of real-life case studies, film, and television as examples to aid in the understanding of the concepts being taught, the course is a thorough survey of the tools available and methods employed by investigators working proactive and long-term cases.  Students come away from the class knowing how to build effective undercover operations and how far they can push their undercover role and the scheme being employed. 

Overview of Topics:

• Backstopping & Laundering your Identity

• Where & how to Hone your Deception

• Sex, Drugs, Alcohol, and Crime from the UC’s Perspective

• Designing an Effective UC Op

• Cultivating Sources

• Authorization to Engage in Illegal Activity

• Electronic Surveillance Techniques

• Leveraging Criminal Intelligence & Exploiting Database Information

• The Importance of Deconfliction

• Building a Conspiracy (RICO, VCAR, CCE, etc.)

• Storefronts, Warehouses, Motel Rooms, and Controlled Environments

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Parking is located at the Palm Avenue Garage located on the corner of 9th Ave and Nuccio Parkway. Please park on the student side of the garage.

For more information, please contact: Scott Johnson sjohnson2@hccfl.edu  or 813.253.7952.

FL General Instructor Techniques # 1186

In this course, students will have an opportunity to define, explore, and develop each of the skills required of an instructor. Students will learn about the types of liability associated with instruction, their responsibility to act ethically and without bias, and how to control and document classroom activities. Students will be instructed in the use of adult learning models and facilitation skills to conduct application-based activities such as individual and group exercises, problem solving scenarios, practice demonstrations, and peer evaluations.  Students will study how to design instruction, write objectives, test questions, and prepare lesson plans.  In addition, students will be required to prepare and present a 30-minute presentation to the class. 

Pursuant to Rule 11B-35, F.A.C., this course is a pre-requisite for applying to CJSTC to become an instructor for CJSTC certified Training Centers.

Topics of instruction include:

**Students are encouraged to bring their laptops with PowerPoint for use in developing their presentations.

Parking is located at the Palm Avenue Garage located on the corner of 9th Ave and Nuccio Parkway. Please park on the student side of the garage.

For more information, please contact: Scott Johnson 813.253.7952 or sjohnson2@hccfl.edu

Taser Instructor/Recertification (T7 only)

This course provides the basic operational theory and practical training to instruct users to reasonably, safely and effectively operate TASER CEWs. This course covers the TASER 7CEWs, Taser CQ and will re-certify those who successfully complete the course as TASER instructors for a period of 2 years. This course is open to all sworn personnel . Part 1 of the course is completed online. 

All instructors will spend approximately 8 hours online before participating in 8 hours of practical training to include teach backs and in-depth scenarios.

* Agencies please send email addresses with the course authorization form so officers can be notified when the online portion is available.

* All course attendees must be added to your agency E.com account for their Axon Academy enrollment, which is where their pre-course work will occur. This must be completed at least 4 weeks prior to your course start date. 

Once your attendees are confirmed in the class, they will be provided the link to the online portion of the course by the Taser Master Instructor (Scott Johnson).  Instructor certification is valid for two years.   Walk-ins will NOT be accepted. IF the online portion of the course is not complete by Monday August 10, you will not be accepted into class on Wednesday August 12.

This is a Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission Trust-Funded Course for Region IX.  Officers in Region IX attend free of charge. 

In order to attend, all officers are required to process the appropriate  paperwork through their respective agencies.

Parking is located at the Palm Avenue Garage located on the corner of 9th Ave and Nuccio Parkway. Please park on the student side of the garage.

For more information, please contact: Scott Johnson sjohnson2@hccfl.edu  or 813.253.7952.

Kinesics

Being able to determine deceptive responses through the observation of nonverbal clues and body reactions during an interview or interrogation can be a valuable tool for the perceptive investigator. During stressful interviews, individuals often “leak” autonomic behaviors that are difficult to control. This seminar presents instruction and demonstrations that teach students skills in reading behavioral signals of tempo, posture, breathing, gestures, & other body movements that cannot be consciously controlled. The class provides students with information that should enhance their perceptual skills, thus, increasing their ability to recognize changes in behavior that often forecasts shifts in attitude and imminent disclosures, as well as, to assess deception and resistance. This is not a boring lecture seminar where participants are forced to take copious notes with minimal involvement.  Rather, the program is conducted in a highly reactive setting, prompting dialog between the students and the instructor. Students are involved in numerous exercises in order to apply the techniques presented during instruction.   

Topics of instruction include:

Parking is located at the Palm Avenue Garage located on the corner of 9th Ave and Nuccio Parkway. Please park on the student side of the garage.

For more information, please contact: Scott Johnson sjohnson2@hccfl.edu  or 813.253.7952.

Stress Management CJSTC 

This 40-hour salary incentive course is designed to enhance the law enforcement, correctional and correctional probation officer’s ability to deal with stressful situations that are inherent in the criminal justice profession. A general awareness of the causes and types of stress, as well as ways to resolve stress, should lead to more effective job performance and employee retention. 

This program will provide officers with the tools to help manage their stress. Those attending will be exposed to the benefits of physical fitness, stretching, nutrition, meditation and other stress reducing strategies. Attendees should bring work-out clothing, a towel and plenty of water. 100% attendance is required and participants must achieve a minimum score of 80% on the written exam to receive a certificate of completion. 

Course topics include:

• Identifying Stress 
• Stress Reaction 
• Personal Stress Management Techniques 
• Resources for Stress Management
• Nutrition in Managing Stress
• The Role of Physical Fitness in Managing Stress 
• Dealing with Critical Incident Stress
• Substance Abuse
• The Role of Family and Friends 

Sergeant Glenn Wilson (Retired)

Sergeant Glenn Wilson retired from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office in 2017 with over 29 years of service. Glenn served as a supervisor in Field Training, Strategic Enforcement, Child Protection, Environmental Lands and the Underwater Search & Recovery Team where he and his co-workers experienced workplace stressors on a daily basis. This prompted him to create and instruct courses in fitness, compassion fatigue, traumatic stress, stress management, and self-care practices. He has travelled around the country teaching stress management techniques to first responders and who work with traumatized victims. Glenn holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice from the University of South Florida, is a certified Florida Department of Law Enforcement Physical Fitness Trainer, and a Cooper Institute trained Law Enforcement Fitness Specialist. Glenn is the Lead Instructor for G-Force Training LLC.

This is a Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission Trust-Funded Course for Region IX. Officers in Region IX attend free of charge.

In order to attend, all officers are required to process the appropriate paperwork through their respective agencies.

For more information, please contact: Scott Johnson sjohnson2@hccfl.edu  or 813.253.7952.

DUI Field Sobriety Testing

This 24-hour course is designed to teach law enforcement how to skillfully recognize and properly evaluate impaired driving suspects, from the initial observation of the vehicle to the arrest and processing of the suspect.  Student will learn standardized sobriety testing procedures which were commissioned by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Beginning with the initial observation of the vehicle and detection of impaired driving skills, all the way to the arrest and processing of the suspect, will be covered in this course.  Enforcement strategies and issues surrounding Miranda and Implied consent will also be addressed.  Additionally, students will learn how to properly document their observations for courtroom presentation.

Topics Include:

• DUI visual detection
• Legal aspects of DUI enforcement
• Standardized field sobriety testing
• Proper documentation techniques
• Sobriety checkpoints (Roadblocks)
• Videotaping issues
• NHTSA drinking exercises (wet lab)
   

This course is not authorized for salary incentive

Parking is located at the Palm Avenue Garage located on the corner of 9th Ave and Nuccio Parkway. Please park on the student side of the garage.

For more information, please contact: Scott Johnson sjohnson2@hccfl.edu  or 813.253.7952.

Child Sex Crimes Investigations # 1171

This is a Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission Advanced Training Course. This 40-hour course is approved for mandatory retraining or salary incentive.

Sexual abuse is about power and control over the child. The abuser is someone that the child knows and possibly trusts so it is easy for the abuser to keep the child from telling anyone about the abuse. The abuser may say that the abuse is normal or the abuser may force or threaten the child. The child does what the abuser wants because the child loves, fears, or respects the abuser. Anyone can abuse a child. Reports indicate that 93% of children under 18 are abused by someone that they know. This person can be a parent, sibling, teacher, coach, or anyone else in the child’s life. It’s rare for a stranger to abuse a child. It can happen, but it’s not likely.

Investigators need to understand that a child doesn’t make up stories about abuse. The child is constantly trying to make sense of what happened. The trauma from the abuse sometimes causes the child to mix-up the when, where, and how. It can also cause the child to say and do things that don’t always sound “right.”

Topics of Instruction include:

This is a Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission Trust-Funded Course for Region IX. Officers in Region IX attend free of charge. 

In order to attend, all officers are required to process the appropriate paperwork through their respective agencies.

Parking is located in the Fernando Noriega, Jr. Palm Avenue STUDENT PARKING GARAGE located on the north side of 9th Avenue, between Nuccio Parkway and 13th Street. You will be given a parking pass the first day of class.

For more information, please contact: Scott Johnson 813.253.7952 or sjohnson2@hccfl.edu

Defensive Tactics Instructor

The 802 Defensive Tactics Instructor Course (updated November 21, 2025) was organized and developed to enhance the knowledge, skills, and abilities of an individual to better prepare prospective officers to control subjects and defend themselves using appropriate Defensive Tactics techniques. The course is designed to enable new Instructors to teach basic recruit students the skills necessary for the safe and proper response to resistance and subject control. 

Pre-Requisites:

Instructor students should possess a General Instructor Certification or be eligible for and apply for the General Instructor Certification at the same time as the High-Liability Instructor Certification. Student applicants must also have 3 years’ experience.  Instructors students should be in physical condition to withstand the strenuous nature of this course. 

Topics of instruction include:

Course Completion Requirements: 

• Complete all practical exercises in the basic recruit curriculum with 100% successful completion.
• Complete written examination on the cognitive material provided in the basic recruit curriculum with a score of at least 85%. 

This is a Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission Trust-Funded Course for Region IX. Officers in Region IX attend free of charge. 

In order to attend, all officers are required to process the appropriate paperwork through their respective agencies.

For more information, please contact: Scott Johnson 813.253.7952 or sjohnson2@hccfl.edu

Line Supervision

This 80 hour course is  designed to provide new line or prospective supervisors with the basic supervisory skills needed to function in a criminal justice agency. This course is also designed to enhance an officer’s knowledge, skills and abilities for job performance. 

The primary role of the first line supervisor is to ensure that the core values, mission, and goals of the department are being met in order to maintain the highest standards of professional ethics and integrity. While ensuring compliance with federal, state, and local laws and departmental rules and regulations, the supervisor must maintain empathy and compassion for others. Maintaining direct communication permits and encourages healthy discussion that will resolve differences in a mutually supportive way and that does not interfere with a first line supervisor’s role. This 80-hour course is approved for Salary Incentive or Mandatory Retraining.

Topics of instruction include:

Parking is located at the Palm Avenue Garage located on the corner of 9th Ave and Nuccio Parkway. Please park on the student side of the garage.

For more information, please contact: Scott Johnson sjohnson2@hccfl.edu  or 813.253.7952.

DUI Field Sobriety Testing

This is a Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission Advanced Training Course. This 40-hour course is approved for mandatory retraining or salary incentive.

The purpose of a child abuse investigation is to ascertain the safety of the child and then to obtain the information necessary to resolve issues or a specific complaint. Every allegation of child abuse may not be credible for a variety of reasons. An investigator must gather information from victims, witnesses, suspects, accomplices — or other persons with whom the investigator comes into contact during the investigation. Physical evidence of wrongdoing can sometimes be located and identified but the investigator must know what to look for and how to assess or evaluate the evidence. The gathering of information and identifying physical evidence must be done slowly and methodically. There must never be a rush to judgment. Understanding the concepts and application of time-tested investigative practices is essential to understanding the investigative process.

Topics of Instruction include:

This is a Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission Trust-Funded Course for Region IX. Officers in Region IX attend free of charge. 

In order to attend, all officers are required to process the appropriate paperwork through their respective agencies.

Parking is located in the Fernando Noriega, Jr. Palm Avenue STUDENT PARKING GARAGE located on the north side of 9th Avenue, between Nuccio Parkway and 13th Street. You will be given a parking pass the first day of class.

For more information, please contact: Scott Johnson sjohnson2@hccfl.edu  or 813.253.7952.

Designing Training for Transfer 

Training On Purpose, By Design: Designing Training for Transfer is a five-day instructor development program that teaches law enforcement trainers how to design and deliver training that produces reliable performance under real-world conditions.

Drawing from research in cognitive psychology, motor learning, decision science, and human performance, this course introduces evidence-grounded methods for improving skill acquisition, decision-making, and adaptability. Participants learn how to structure training environments that promote long-term retention and operational transfer rather than short-term performance.

Through classroom discussion, guided practical exercises, and live-fire coaching sessions, instructors learn how to apply concepts such as variability with intent, representative design, attentional control, priming and boosting, and the Challenge Point Framework. The course also addresses the role of mindset, emotional regulation, and imagery in performance under pressure.

By the end of the program, participants will be able to redesign existing training blocks, facilitate learning through dynamic debrief methods, and implement evidence-based instructional strategies that increase learner engagement, ownership, and adaptability.

This is a hands-on application course.  Through classroom discussion, guided practical exercises, and live-fire coaching sessions, instructors learn how to apply concepts such as variability with intent, representative design, attentional control, priming and boosting, and the Challenge Point Framework. The course also addresses the role of mindset, emotional regulation, and imagery in performance under pressure.

Students will need 750 rounds of handgun ammunition, and 500 rounds if rifle ammunition.

This is a Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission Trust-Funded Course for Region IX. Officers in Region IX attend free of charge. 

In order to attend, all officers are required to process the appropriate paperwork through their respective agencies.

Parking is located in the Fernando Noriega, Jr. Palm Avenue STUDENT PARKING GARAGE located on the north side of 9th Avenue, between Nuccio Parkway and 13th Street. You will be given a parking pass the first day of class.

For more information, please contact: Scott Johnson sjohnson2@hccfl.edu  or 813.253.7952.

Low-Light Instructor Course

This (3) day class is focused around the 8 light principles of Low/ No light. Developed by Ken Good, these tactics have been proven time and time again. Students will be exposed to extensive Force on Force scenarios utilizing airsoft pistols with Red Dot optics. Understanding the applications of the principles in this class, we will prepare students to be able to build and/or enhance their current low light programs. Handheld flashlight techniques will be discussed, however it will not be the focus. We will be focused around tactics with handheld and weapon lights. Students will be asked to demonstrate a level of proficiency in order to pass the class. Resources will be provided to help students build a low light program at the conclusion of the class.

Topics Covered:

• White Light Tactics
• Lighting Principle
• OODA Loop / Levels of Awareness
• Handheld Flashlight Techniques 
• Positional Shooting
• Use of Cover
• Room Clearing
• Force on Force Scenarios
• Live fire flashlight techniques

Materials Needed:

• Pistol with 3 magazines (Iron or Red dot sight)
• 300 rounds of pistol ammunition 
• Belt / Holster / Mag Pouch
• Handheld Light is a must/ Weapon light is optional
• Force on Force clothing (masks are provided)
• Eye and Ear Protection
• Knee pads / gloves Highly recommended
• Pen and Notepad

***Students must bring receipts for ammunition on the 1st day of class for agency reimbursement***

For more information, please contact: Scott Johnson sjohnson2@hccfl.edu  or 813.253.7952.

Low-Light Instructor Course

John L. Gronski, Major General (U.S. Army Retired) is founder and CEO of Leader Grove LLC, and a Leadership Fellow for the Association of The United States Army. John is a leadership consultant and trainer, an author, and an international and Fortune 500 speaker. His leadership and resiliency presentations feature inspirational stories and wisdom gained from his own leadership experience and the experience of others.

This will be an exciting and inspirational two-day course for aspiring leaders and those already in leadership positions within the   law enforcement community who want to sharpen their leadership skills and strengthen their resiliency.  All participants will receive a copy of the book “Iron Sharpened Leadership” and a certificate of training at the completion of the course.  The course will be interactive and will include small group breakout sessions.

John’s assistant instructor will be Sergeant Eric Diaz. Sergeant Diaz is retired from the Tampa Police Department and currently serves with the Tampa International Airport Police. Eric is an Army Veteran and a certified law enforcement trainer.

Course benefits include:

Parking is located at the Palm Avenue Garage located on the corner of 9th Ave and Nuccio Parkway. Please park on the student side of the garage.

For more information, please contact: Scott Johnson sjohnson2@hccfl.edu  or 813.253.7952.

Designing Training for Transfer 

This is a Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission Advanced Training Course. This 40-hour course is approved for mandatory retraining or salary incentive.

This course is designed to provide an overview of sex crimes investigations for the officer and investigator with limited experience in this area, and an understanding of the problematic, legal, investigative, and evidentiary aspects of sex crimes. 

Topics of Instruction include:

This is a Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission Trust-Funded Course for Region IX. Officers in Region IX attend free of charge. 

In order to attend, all officers are required to process the appropriate paperwork through their respective agencies.

Parking is located in the Fernando Noriega, Jr. Palm Avenue STUDENT PARKING GARAGE located on the north side of 9th Avenue, between Nuccio Parkway and 13th Street. You will be given a parking pass the first day of class.

For more information, please contact: Scott Johnson sjohnson2@hccfl.edu  or 813.253.7952.