Technical standards outline the skills and expectations required for students to successfully enter, progress through, and complete the program. They ensure clarity and consistency for students, faculty, staff, administration, and disability services. These standards apply equally to all students.
If you require accommodations to fully participate in the program, please contact the Office of Disability Services to confidentially discuss your needs. Technical standards can be met with or without accommodations, and the examples provided are not all encompassing.
Technical Standard, Definition and Examples
Ability is sufficient for the classroom, lab, and work in industry situations, especially emergency crime scenes.
Examples:
- Ability to calmly intervene in various verbal and/or physical conflicts; make correct initial decisions and draw reasonable conclusions that allow selection and pursuit of acceptable outcomes options; make references to the appropriate person(s) for further remedy.
- Assess crime scenes and interpret evidence to determine the cause of the incident.
- Formulate correct decisions based on department policy and procedure.
- Advise disputants of legal options (attorney, magistrate, etc.); consider appropriate alternatives when possible.
- Devise and implement an accepted plan to provide effective police services in typical/atypical situations.
- Utilize standard/approved equipment for officer and citizen safety.
Physical abilities are sufficient to move in one's environment with ease and without restriction
Examples:
- Meet state-mandated minimum standards for physical agility in the Police Officer Physical Agility Test (POPAT).
- Enter/exit patrol car without assistance.
- Physically negotiate hazardous scenes in all environmental extremes including, but not limited to, light/dark, heat/cold, wet/dry/frozen scenes.
- Wear appropriate personal protective devices (PPDs) without assistance (ex: gloves, masks, etc.).
- Operate patrol vehicles under extreme environmental conditions.
- Operate assigned firearms, meeting state and agency standards for safe handling, accurate marksmanship, etc.
Sufficient sense of touch and tactile acuity are necessary in the performance of law enforcement duties
Examples:
- Conduct "pat-down" and full search for weapons/contraband of persons detained or arrested.
- Safely handle and use patrol vehicles, firearms, impact weapons, mechanical restraints, radio equipment, speed measuring devices, and non-lethal weapons.
- Detect weapons hidden on a person.
- Conduct searches of items, locations, and vehicles.
- Detect and locate a pulse and detect signs of breathing.
- Perform CPR.
- Recover and process evidence.
- Use computers to prepare reports and communicate with other officers.
Sufficient physical ability and stamina to attend classes and provide care to patients. Must possess the ability to lift, stand, stretch, squat, and crawl or contort to any position as required by the repair situation
Examples:
- Physically negotiate hazardous scenes in all environmental extremes including, but not limited to, light/dark, heat/cold, wet/dry/frozen scenes.
- Quickly perform physically demanding activities such as climbing fences, jumping ditches, low crawl, engaging in physical suspect apprehension, performing rescue duties, etc.
- Perform physical tasks requiring prolonged physical exertion (ex: walking for long periods of time while carrying equipment or moving individuals).
- Perform a variety of tasks while walking, crawling, stooping, bending, kneeling, or working in a horizontal, flat position.
Auditory abilities are sufficient to work effectively and safely
Example:
- Hear and speak using two-way radios.
- Effectively use the sense of hearing to aid in locating victims, witnesses, or suspects.
- Recognize and respond to voices under duress.
- Hear and recognize various audible signals during the rescue operation, equipment or emergency alarms, and dangers/warnings associated with hazardous scenes.
- Speak and hear in a variety of environments using typical telephone links.
- Receive and respond to instructor, officer, or supervisor instructions in emergency and non-emergency environments.
Visual ability is sufficient for observation and assessment necessary in the classroom, lab, and industry situations, including emergency crime or incident scenes and situations
Examples:
- Recognize nonverbal cues indicative of an impending assault.
- Identify medical patient signs as taught in the First Responder block.
- Identify and protect evidence.
- Identify normal/abnormal patterns of movement.
- Rapidly assess the environment for hazards in a wide spectrum of light levels.
- Operate a patrol vehicle under normal and emergency conditions in both daylight and darkness.
- Identify aggressor/non-aggressor behaviors in a wide range of situations.
Abilities are sufficient for interaction with others in verbal and written form
Examples:
- Hear and speak over two-way radio to receive and provide urgent and non-urgent information rapidly.
- Ask questions to obtain information related to calls for service.
- Receive and interpret information from victims, witnesses, suspects, and/or bystanders.
- Receive and clarify orders from supervisors.
- Prepare accurate and legible hand and type-written reports in a normal work shift.
- Read and understand policies and standard operating procedures.
- Communicate effectively with citizens in verbal and written forms.
- Interpret certain nonverbal communication, ex. emotional reaction to situations, deceitful indicators, fight or flight posture, etc.
Ability to work well with others using active listening and cooperation. Abilities are sufficient to interact with individuals and groups from a variety of social, emotional, cultural, and intellectual backgrounds
Examples:
- Quickly establish and maintain supportive relationships with citizens, victims, witnesses, family members, bystanders, public. safety, media, political officials, and other law enforcement personnel under stressful and non-stressful situations.
- Rapidly communicate with hostile people using de-escalations techniques.
- Control personal emotions and biases in high-stress situations.
- Quickly and rapidly communicate with other public safety personnel to develop immediate deployment plans.
Possess the ability to tolerate environmental stressors and function safely
Examples:
- Quickly and safely perform physically demanding tasks such as lifting and moving people and equipment, pushing and pulling heavy objects, restraining hostile individuals.
- Perform all functions of a law enforcement officer in all weather, stress, space, light, and temperate conditions.
Possess emotional stability sufficiently to maintain composure in stressful situations and assume responsibility/accountability for actions
Examples:
- Adapt rapidly to changing, stressful, dangerous, and/or emergency situations.
- Demonstrate flexibility, honesty, and cooperative behaviors in a variety of environments.
- Display high levels of personal responsibility, competency, honesty, and trustworthiness.
- Demonstrate respect for citizens, victims, witnesses, suspects, and other public safety professionals without regard to the situation or perceptions.
- Present a professional appearance and maintain personal hygiene.
We are committed to ensuring all students have the support they need to succeed in this program. If you have a documented disability, reasonable accommodations will be provided unless they fundamentally alter essential training requirements, create undue hardship, or pose a safety risk to you or others.
Disability Services Statement
If you have a documented disability and need accommodations, please contact the Disability Services Office (Ward Hall Building; 252-638-1454) as soon as possible—ideally before classes or field experiences begin. You are also encouraged to inform your instructor as needed so we can best support your learning.