The Criminal Investigation (CI) Training Council advises the Chief, CI, on all matters relating to training.

The Deputy Chief, CI, and the Director, National CI Training Academy (NCITA) co-chair the Training Council. The Director, Strategy and the Director, Operations Policy and Support each assign a permanent member on the Council. The remainder of the Council consists of seven rotational members:

The Deputy Chief, CI, will select the SAC from nominations submitted by the Directors, Field Operations. The Directors, Field Operations may select either a SSA or a special agent to represent his/her area.

This section discusses the role of NCITA in preparing CI employees for their positions. The particular training programs discussed in this section are as follows:

The NCITA is located at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) in Glynco, GA. The NCITA is responsible for developing and monitoring formalized training programs and on-the-job training, and for scheduling and conducting training.

Instruction and practical exercises are taught by NCITA instructors, field office cadre, and FLETC instructors, depending on the course of instruction.

The NCITA student honor code is based on the premise that persons aspiring to serve as Federal law enforcement officers for the IRS should exhibit the highest levels of personal conduct and integrity. The honor code prescribes that all work submitted by a student to successfully complete a NCITA training program shall be the sole product of the student. Each student has an obligation to uphold the highest standards of integrity in training and shall not tolerate dishonesty by other students at NCITA. The honor code applies not only to written examinations but also to all work performed in the graded practical exercises of a training program. Honor code violations will result in termination from training.

Newly appointed special agents must satisfactorily complete the following recruit training program:

All new special agents (trainees) will be scheduled to attend formal classroom training at the designated reporting date established by the NCITA, consistent with the centralized hiring process. Phases 1, 2, and 3 will be run consecutively with no break between phases. The new special agent will report for duty to his/her respective field office upon successful completion of phase 3. Progression to phase 3 requires successful completion of phases 1 and 2.

An evaluation of the trainee's performance will be sent to the trainee's respective field office management upon successful completion of phases 1, 2, and 3. Satisfactory completion of each phase is required to retain employment as a special agent. Repetition of any phase of training or training program will be allowed only in the case of medical problem or personal emergency, and only upon the approval of the Director, NCITA, and concurrence of the Director, Strategy and the Chief, CI.

Advanced Special Agent Training (ASAT) is an 8¹/₂ day mandatory training course for GS-1811s Grades 12/13 special agents who have at least 8 years of experience as a special agent. Topics covered include:

The course is presented in a seminar format and emphasizes participant involvement in class discussions and numerous practical exercises.

The NCITA is responsible for developing and presenting programs to meet these needs. Current programs include:

The Chief, CI is responsible for identifying nationwide needs for entry, mid-level, and top-level training, as well as Continuing Management Education (CME) for CI management personnel.

The NCITA is responsible for coordinating and developing programs to meet management training needs identified by the Chief, CI. These include the following:

Directors, Field Operations are responsible for providing qualified first, mid, and top-level SSAs as facilitators for all phases of CI, SSA training.

The Chief, CI is responsible for identifying nationwide needs for specialized and advanced training of CI personnel. The NCITA is responsible for developing and presenting programs to meet those needs. Current programs include:

The areas and field offices are responsible for identifying local specialized training needs. The NCITA is responsible for conducting training, when appropriate, and arranging for the attendance of special agents in the following training programs not conducted by IRS:

Topics for CPE are developed by NCITA, with assistance from HQ and field office personnel. The CI Training Council will determine or concur on the topics for each fiscal year. Certain topics may be designated as mandatory while others may be selected at the option of the area or field office to meet local training needs. Area or field offices may develop other subjects to fill local needs. One copy of all locally developed material will be forwarded to the Director, NCITA.

Before special agents are authorized to carry or use any IRS-owned weapon, they must successfully complete firearms training provided during the CITP at FLETC. Thereafter, special agents assigned either to a field office or HQ must successfully complete firearms training during quarterly firearms training in the field office or HQ. Special agents must also have successfully demonstrated proficiency with their weapon and achieved a qualifying score within the time limits specified in subsection (3) below for handguns. Special agents must also perform the requirements set forth in subsection (9) below for shotguns.

All special agents must have their badge and pocket commission on their person when carrying a firearm, except under unusual circumstances relating to special assignments with the approval of the SAC. The SSA must be assured that each special agent is clearly familiar with Treasury policy and guidelines for weapons use.

All special agents shall meet the following standards regarding their assigned IRS-issued firearm (items a & b below) and receive the following training/briefings (items c through e below) each fiscal year:

See IRM 9.2.1.9 (3) for special agents who do not comply with the requirements in above, either due to a failure to qualify or a failure to participate, must surrender their IRS-issued weapon to the appropriate head of office, or designee, until they meet the stated requirements.

All special agents will be required to qualify at least once each year with all holsters they are approved to carry. Special Agents in Charge will be the approving officials for any carrying device other than the standard strong-side hip holster. All holsters must conform to requirements set forth in IRM 9.11.3 Investigative Property. In situations that require an unusual method of carry, such as an undercover operation, special agents must demonstrate to a CI firearms instructor that they are proficient in this method of carry.

All special agents will qualify at least once each year wearing tactical equipment, including ballistic vests, tactical holsters, and raid jackets. In addition, all special agents will qualify at least once each year with their weapon concealed under business attire.

Special agents generally will be limited to two attempts to qualify on any given day. This does not preclude a practice course beforehand. If special agents fail to qualify, they may fire a maximum of two additional qualification courses that day only if:

Subject to approval by the SAC; Director, Field Operations; or HQ Directors, special agents with a temporary physical condition (including pregnancy) that prevents participation in firearms training may be excused by submitting documentation of their medical condition to their head of office. Special agents must surrender their IRS-issued weapon to their SAC, or designee, until they meet the qualification standards.

All special agents must participate in semi-annual shotgun training. This training consists of weapon function, operation, safe handling, and firing at the NCITA approved qualification course ( see Exhibit 9.2.1-1.). Only those individuals who score a 75 or higher within the last 6 months and demonstrate proficiency with the weapon will qualify to carry the shotgun on enforcement operations. Proficiency, in this regard, will be based on a demonstration of safe and effective use of the weapon as determined by appropriate field office firearms instructors. Additional shotgun training can be made available at the discretion of the SAC.

Special agents are encouraged to use range facilities outside regular duty hours to maintain or improve their firearms proficiency. Within reason, the IRS will make ammunition available for this purpose.

Special agents engaged in firearms practice are considered to be in the performance of their official duties under the Federal Employees Compensation Act provided they use a IRS-issued weapon and ammunition. All practice will be conducted with the concurrence of the appropriate firearms instructor and the approval of the special agent's immediate manager.

Because it promotes increased skill with firearms, participation in pistol shooting competitions is viewed as an extension of CI’s policy regarding approved firearms practice. Expenses incurred as a result of participation by special agents in such competitions may be paid or reimbursed by CI if such participation is in the interest of the IRS.

All special agents engaged in firearms practice and qualification must wear CI issued eye and ear protection:

In addition, any injuries incurred during use of force training that require medical attention must be promptly reported via memorandum to the National Use of Force Program Manager through the Director, NCITA.

All special agent qualification scores and other related firearms training information will be recorded and maintained by field office use of force coordinators. These records will be forwarded at the end of each fiscal year to the National Use of Force Program Manager through the Director, NCITA. These records must include the special agent’s name, date, weapon used, course fired, score, and ammunition used.

The minimum qualification score is 75. The following levels of proficiency are based on qualifying scores obtained during completion of the CI Pistol Qualification Course:

Certificates may be awarded for each level of proficiency once in every 5-year period. Sharpshooter and expert certificates will be issued with the approval of the SAC; Director, Field Operations; or HQ Director. Requests for distinguished expert certificates and metallic pins should be forwarded through the appropriate channels for signature by the Chief, CI.

Criminal Investigation firearms instructors must successfully complete the FLETC's Firearms Instructor Training Program (FITP). Equivalent training can be completed in lieu of FITP but must be approved in advance by the National Use of Force Program Manager at the NCITA.

In accordance with CI Directive No. 1 – Enforcement Operations ( IRM 9.1.4, Criminal Investigation Directives and Delegation Orders), all special agents must attend defensive tactics training, which will be included in quarterly use of force training sessions. Field offices will conduct annual training based on the annual defensive tactics training checklist distributed by NCITA. The field office use of force coordinator will keep records of attendance of all special agents who attend such training and the subjects presented for a period of 3 years.

Each special agent must successfully complete an annual defensive tactics skills assessment from NCITA. This assessment consists of a practical demonstration of skills and a written examination. Each special agent must achieve a minimum 70% score on each part of the examination. Remedial training will be provided to those who fail to achieve the minimum score.

The field office use of force coordinator will keep a record of all special agents who have successfully completed the assessment and will notify the SSA of any special agent who does not successfully complete the assessment. The SSA may consider an unsuccessful assessment when evaluating the special agent. Absence from defensive tactics training must be authorized by the SAC, and a record of the authorization shall be maintained by the use of force coordinator. The record will reflect the reason for the absence and the date the SAC authorized the absence.

Special agents injured during defensive tactics training or assessments are considered to be in the performance of their official duties under the Federal Employees Compensation Act. Injuries incurred during defensive tactics training or assessments must be reported to the Director, NCITA, Attention: National Use of Force Program Manager. A memorandum will be prepared by the use of force coordinator that will contain a brief report of the injury and activities leading to the injury. The memorandum will be approved by the injured employee's SSA and forwarded to the Director, NCITA.

The IRS has long recognized the value of having employees who hold professional licenses such as CPAs and attorneys in technical positions, including the special agent position. Aside from the direct benefit of improving the individual special agents’ knowledge of accounting and law, both CI and the IRS benefit from an enhanced public image and credibility with the public, juries, and the legal and accounting professions from having employees who hold such professional licenses.

As workload demands allow, CI will accommodate employees who request excused absence (administrative leave) in order to continue their personal development or to attend/participate in events sanctioned by management. The Continuing Personal Development (CPD) program applies to activities when an employee is:

The goal of the CPD program is to ensure every employee has an equal opportunity to develop and take on more challenging assignments. All CI employees, regardless of series, grade, gender, or geographic location, are eligible to participate in the CPD program.

Every CI employee will be allotted 24 hours of excused absence (administrative leave) during the fiscal year for his/her personal development. The allotted hours must be requested and used during the fiscal year or forfeited.

This time is to be used to take courses or attend conferences, meetings, training, and other events which will aid the employee in improving efficiency on the job, enhancing value to the IRS, and/or demonstrating proficiency in law enforcement activities. The activity or training must be consistent with the goals, mission, and/or stated policies of the IRS or CI. Authorized activities include courses provided by accredited/licensed colleges, universities, or technical training facilities; adult education courses provided by local school districts; sanctioned conventions, seminars, and workshops where the employee is not attending as a representative of CI on official business; CPEs required to maintain licenses; charitable events such as the Law Enforcement Officers Torch Run, and other events which allow special agents to demonstrate prowess in activities that are part of CI’s Health Improvement Program or directly related to the work of a law enforcement officer.

When holding a license or professional credential is beneficial to CI or the IRS, and more than 24 hours of CPE is required to retain the license or credential (e.g., CPE to retain one’s license as a CPA), additional time not to exceed 8 hours may be approved in order to complete the CPE. However, no employee may have more than 32 CPD hours in a fiscal year.

Excused absence under the CPD program will not be granted for formal training provided as a requisite for equipping an employee to perform assigned duties at an acceptable level of competence; conferences and training sessions attended as CI’s representative in either an instructor or attendee mode; annual conferences and training sessions sponsored by recognized employee organizations (REO) when the employee is CI’s representative attending in an official business status; or any other recreational events.

The employee's immediate manager approves all CPD leave requests. The manager is responsible for tracking the CPD leave taken by the employee during the fiscal year.

The employee request must include the following information:

Other legally permissible participation, not addressed herein, may be referred to the respective Director, Field Operations for consideration on a case by case basis. The Director, Human Resources, is authorized to resolve any issue concerning the CPD program.

Certified instructors assigned to conduct training outside their normal commuting area will receive a retention allowance of six percent of basic pay during qualified instruction time, if the duration of the training assignment and any related preparation time exceeds two continuous weeks.

The retention allowance includes, but is not limited to, the following CI training programs:

This allowance is not applicable to assignments to task forces rewriting training materials, nor does it include training professionals.

A certified instructor is an instructor who has been competitively selected and successfully completed instructor training (the BIFT program conducted by NCITA) or past attendance at an IRS or FLETC sponsored instructor training class.

Training instructors positions are filled using one of two methods in a competitive selection process.

If the IRS requires an employee to be a member of a professional society or organization as a condition of continued employment, the IRS will reimburse the employee for the costs of such membership subject to the availability of funding.

Out-service training is non-IRS training and includes meetings, conferences, seminars, and symposia. The training must be designed to improve public service, achieve dollar savings, increase employee skills and efficiency, enhance employee retention, accomplish uniform administration of training consistent with the IRS mission, and ensure fair and equitable treatment of employees.

Out-service training authorization is obtained by completion of SF-182, Request Authorization Agreement and Authorization of Training. Whenever possible, payment for the training should be made with the Government Purchase Card.

The following approvals are required for Form SF-182:

Subsequent to the completion of training the employee must complete Section C- Termination and Evaluation Data (Items 21 - 43) and the immediate supervisor must complete Section D- Supervisory Comments (Items 44 - 48).