When an officer is accepted by the PCSO, they will go through a six month training and evaluation period. If it is determined the trainee is ready to be an official Sheriff Deputy, they will go through a training at the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy (TLETA). The trainee must pass the course or they will be dismissed from the training phase.
TLETA was authorized by the 1963 General Assembly for the purpose of training state, county and city law enforcement officers. The Academy was brought under the Department of Safety in 1983.
TLETA is highly respected in the law enforcement community. In its history from 1966 to 2019, there have been 300 Basic Police Schools that have trained 21,369 cadets, as well as 1,808 specialized schools that have trained 56,542 students.
The goals of TLETA are:
To provide excellent instruction in basic, advanced and technical subjects for the Tennessee law enforcement community
To employ teaching methods best suited for the subject taught and the student's particular learning needs
To continually upgrade course content with the latest research and recommended professional practices
To stimulate inquiry and provide fresh perspectives on the law enforcement career
For more information visit the following pages in the State of Tennessee website for Tennessee Law Enforcement:
