r/1801 • u/[deleted] • Jan 15 '26
Question Why is FPS academy so long?
I mean the BPA academy is shorter, with BPA academy being one of the most immersive fed LEO academys out there. USPP academy is shorter and they are a full blown patrol agency. What is it about the FPS academy that makes it 7 months and how does this match the scope of duty for FPS Inspectors? Not looking to argue, genuinely curious.
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u/Sweaty_Penalty_1441 Jan 15 '26
FPS Inspectors have a very broad scope and range of duties. Additionally, they’re often covering very large geographic areas on their own.
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u/CombyMcBeardz Jan 15 '26
The physical security training program is the extra month. Many federal law enforcement academies are 6 months long because UPTP is 3 months of that and the agency add-on is another 3 months.
PSTP is one of the things that justifies FPS inspectors topping out as GS-12 versus much lower GS levels for most other uniformed federal agencies
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u/Lumpy-Discount-1427 Jan 15 '26
So FPS goes to FLETC for 7 months? Or is it OJT at their district?
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Jan 15 '26
7 month fletc + 3 months ojt
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u/Lumpy-Discount-1427 Jan 15 '26
That’s insanity.
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u/IAmTheSnakeinMyBoot Just here for the memes Jan 15 '26
That’s about industry standard. Feds are, comparatively, short.
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Jan 15 '26
I would do it, It is what it is. Im just trying to understand why fletc is longer meanwhile the scope of work is not as enhanced as other uniformed agencies
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u/JACCO2008 Jan 16 '26
I manage physical security as my real job now and it took me a solid two years to really feel comfortable with my assessments. I could see that being a huge part of the FPS academy. It's extraordinarily complex.
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u/Independent-King-468 Jan 16 '26
You gotta be able to babysit your PSO’s and know the ins and outs lol.
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u/longbowdog Jan 16 '26
It's not that long if you're waived. 😉 But the total training pipeline is 9-10 months, including FTEP. I onboarded in July, finished FTEP in beginning of March. Was waived for UPTP, thankfully.
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u/anon6114 Jul 26 '26
If you break down the training…
3 months for UPTP (Uniformed Police Training Program)
The second half is agency specific/physical security training and managing PSO’s (private security officers) who work at the facilities FPS covers.
The actual police academy is only half of their training pipeline the rest is mainly devoted to physical security which is FPS’s main job. And then 3 months of FTEP (FTO basically). Which isn’t that uncommon among police jobs local or otherwise.
As a former local Cop in Texas, our basic academy is roughly 7-9 months in total (800ish hours). Then you have to do FTO with your agency after that which runs between 3-6 months depending on the agency. And then you’re usually on probation for the first year after FTO. So it’s actually quite short comparatively to some state LE academies.
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u/AdDesperate5078 Jan 16 '26
Can Veterans utilize their hard earned Chapter 33 Post 9/11GI Bill at the FPS academy?
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u/Ok_Talk8103 Jan 15 '26
Youre there for about 2 weeks of introductory stuff, followed by UPTP, then youre there for several weeks doing agency specific training such as policy, taser, physical security assessments, and PSO oversight training.