12 NCAC 10B .1202          ELIGIBILITY FOR PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATES

(a)  In order to be eligible for one or more of the detention officer professional certificates, a detention officer shall first meet the following preliminary qualifications:

(1)           be a full-time detention officer who holds a valid general or grandfather certification as defined in G.S. 17E-7(a). A detention officer serving under a probationary certification is not eligible for consideration.

(2)           any detention officer subject to suspension or revocation proceedings, under investigation for possible decertification action, under a period of active revocation of their certification, or under probation or suspended sanction, by the Commission or the North Carolina Criminal Justice Education and Training Standards Commission, shall not be eligible for any professional certificates for the pendency of the proceedings or period of probation, suspension, or revocation;

(3)           meet and maintain the requirements of certification pursuant to Rule .0301 and Section .0600 of this Subchapter.

(b)  Employees of a North Carolina sheriff's office who have previously held a general or grandfather detention officer certification, but are presently, by virtue of promotion or transfer, serving in positions not subject to certification, are eligible to participate in the Professional Certificate Program. Eligibility for this exception requires continuous employment with a sheriff's office from the date of promotion or transfer from a certified position to the date of application for a professional certificate.

(c)  Only training and experience gained in an officer's area of expertise, as described in Paragraph (d) of this Rule, shall be eligible for application to this program.

(d)  Certificates shall be awarded based upon a formula contained herein that combines formal education, training, and experience as a detention officer. Points are computed in the following manner:

(1)           each semester hour of college credit shall equal one education point and each quarter hour of college credit shall equal two thirds of an education point. No correspondence or vocational courses shall be credited towards education points unless an accredited institution, as set out in Paragraph (g) of this Rule, credits the courses towards a degree;

(2)           20 hours of detention officer training shall equal one training point; and

(3)           experience as a member of a correctional or detention facility in North Carolina, as defined in Rule .0103(6) of this Subchapter.

(e)  In addition to the qualifications set forth in Paragraphs (a), (b), (c), and (d) of this Rule, applicants for the Intermediate Detention Officer Professional Certificate shall have acquired the following combination of educational points or degrees, detention officer or corrections training points, and years of detention officer experience:

Educational Degrees	None	None	None	Associate	Bachelor
Years of Detention Officer Experience	8	6	4	4	2
Minimum Detention Officer Training Points	6	12	16	24	23
Minimum Total Education and Training Points	13	23	33	24	23

(f)  In addition to the qualifications set forth in Paragraphs (a), (b), (c), and (d) of this Rule, applicants for the Advanced Detention Officer Professional Certificate shall possess or be eligible to possess the Intermediate Detention Officer Professional Certificate and shall have acquired the following combination of educational points or degrees, detention officer or corrections training points, and years of detention officer experience:

Educational Degrees	None	None	Associate	Bachelor	Doctoral, Professional or Master
Years of Detention Officer Experience	12	9	9	6	4
Minimum Detention Officer Training Points	12	16	27	26	26
Minimum Total Education and Training Points	23	33	27	26	26

(g)  Educational points or degrees claimed shall have been earned at a technical institute, technical college, community college, junior college, college or university accredited as such by the Department of Education of the state in which the institution is located, or a national or regional accrediting body. No credit shall be given for any correspondence or vocational courses unless credited towards a degree by an accredited institution.

(h)  No more than 80 hours of training obtained by completing the detention officer certification course, as set out in Rule .0601 of this Subchapter, shall be credited toward training points.

History Note:        Authority G.S. 17E-4;

Eff. January 1, 1990;

Amended Eff. January 1, 2013; January 1, 2006; August 1, 1998; February 1, 1998; January 1, 1996; January 1, 1992;

Pursuant to G.S. 150B-21.3A, rule is necessary without substantive public interest Eff. March 6, 2018;

Amended Eff. December 1, 2025; December 1, 2023.