Frequently Asked Questions

The COPS Training Portal (the Portal) was created by the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) and provides a convenient way for law enforcement professionals and community partners to access interactive online training in emerging public safety topics. Additionally, the Portal serves as a gateway to a variety of multimedia community policing resources at no cost.

The COPS Office is the component of the U.S. Department of Justice responsible for advancing the practice of community policing by the nation’s state, local, territorial, and tribal law enforcement agencies through information and grant resources.

The content found on the Portal comes from a variety of sources, including organizations who receive grant funding from the COPS Office, other offices within the Department of Justice, and by organizations who have contracts with the Department of Justice, to name a few.

There is no limit to the number of personnel within an organization that may benefit from these free community policing resources.

To register for courses or to access resources, someone must first create an account by clicking the “Sign Up/Login” button at the top right-hand corner of the homepage and by choosing the “Create new account” option. Once an account has been created and verified, the new Portal learner will log in with their email address and password and click the “Enroll” button beside a course to register.

At this time, the COPS Portal does not offer a group registration functionality or the ability for one person to register third-party learners.

Portal learners will need access to a computer with reliable internet connection and speakers. For optimal functionality in this system, the COPS Training Portal Team recommends using Google Chrome or any browser other than Internet Explorer and Safari. Learners accessing the COPS Training Portal via the Internet Explorer or Safari browsers typically encounter technical difficulties. If you experience technical difficulties accessing eLearning courses, contact us at [email protected] or 1-833-650-7910.

If you are experiencing issues with any portion of the Portal or its contents, contact us via email at [email protected] or by phone at 1-833-650-7910.

If the email to confirm an account and/or reset a password is not received within 5 minutes, participants should check their spam/junk folder. If the email is not there, contact the Portal Team via email at [email protected] or by phone at 1-833-650-7910 for help confirming the account or resetting a password.

Yes!  All the eLearning courses on the Portal are free and are available for anyone to take, from community members interested in community policing to entire law enforcement organizations.

The Portal houses a library of interactive online resources in emerging public safety topics, including on-demand training courses and instructional materials. All of the content on the Portal may be used in a variety of ways, though the instructional materials, such as the video series that are offered, are ideal for use within roll calls or other departmental trainings, and the eLearning courses are well-suited for individual professional development.

The courses on the Portal vary in length. Many course descriptions offer a course length; however, each course is self-paced, allowing participants to start, stop, and resume the course based on the demands of their schedule. Portal course sessions run January 1 – December 31 of each year and course content must be completed by December 31 in order to earn your certificate.  Learners who have completed a course within an active session will continue to have access to the course materials and certificate after the session ends. 

Each course on the Portal is self-paced and allows participants to start, stop, and resume the course based on the demands of their schedule. Portal course sessions run January 1 – December 31 of each year and course content must be completed by December 31 in order to earn your certificate.  

Each course requires a pre-test and a post-test.  Your score on the pre-test will not be displayed or shared. The purpose of the pre-test is to help evaluate the effectiveness of the eLearning course; while individual improvement is not tracked, aggregate growth between pre- and post-test scores is reviewed. Post-test scores are shared with learners, and beginning January 1, 2023, all courses will require at least a minimum post-test score of 80% in order to receive your certificate of completion.

Effective January 1, 2023, prior to receiving a certificate of completion, each learner will be required to attest to having completed the course fully. Learners are encouraged to ensure that they have adequate time and a suitable environment to devote their attention to the module(s) they intend to complete in any given session. Here is the Honor Code: “I hereby attest that I have completed the full course. By clicking “yes” I confirm that I have personally reviewed all required material presented in this course, and any credit requested will reflect actual time spent participating in the web-based training, and does not exceed the estimated number of completion hours detailed in the course description.”

Learners will always have access to certificates for any completed courses.  To view, download, or print your certificate, log into the Portal, click on your name in the top-right corner, click on Profile, and then click on My Certificates.

As each Portal offering was created by a different organization, available materials for download vary by course and resource.

Portal course sessions run January 1 – December 31 of each year and course content must be completed by December 31 in order to earn your certificate for that session.  Learners who have completed a course within an active session will continue to have access to the course materials and certificate after the session ends.  A learner may enroll and complete the same course again during a subsequent active session and receive a certificate with that completion date.  

The certification of eLearning courses varies greatly across the nation. However, the courses available within the Portal have been produced in compliance with the COPS Office curriculum development standards and the content has been vetted by the Department of Justice. As such, many state and local organizations may offer credits for these courses. Portal learners wishing to obtain continuing education credit for completing courses should follow their organization’s procedures for certification of eLearning and multimedia training.

At this time, all Portal eLearning courses are Arizona POST Approved Courses. 

The COPS Office awards funding to organizations for the development and delivery of a variety of in–person and classroom–based training programs. Each organization provides information regarding registration on its individual website.

A variety of organizations develop and deliver in–person and classroom–based training programs. Each organization handles the registration and scheduling of its own courses. More detailed information is available on the course provider’s individual website.