The United States Coast Guard’s Maritime Law Enforcement Academy (MLEA) is located onboard the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) Charleston, South Carolina. The MLEA is the Coast Guard’s primary Law Enforcement Training Center and is responsible for the training and administration of 17 distinct law enforcement courses. The MLEA accomplishes its mission of “preparing and supporting the execution of the Coast Guard’s Maritime Law Enforcement Security and Safety missions” by training over 2,600 resident and 9,600 non-resident students annually. The MLEA, along with its five subordinate, geographically dispersed Regional Fisheries Training Centers, is composed of a diverse staff of over 220 active duty Coast Guardsmen, civilians and contractors who provide high quality training, review curriculum and support the unit’s administrative functions.
The Non-Compliant Vessel Pursuit Schoolhouse providing advanced pursuit operations training to Coast Guard Coxswains and Crewman during an exercise on the Wando River in Charleston, South Carolina. (Courtesy Photo)
The MLEA’s resident training courses are broken up into four separate schoolhouses; the Advanced Law Enforcement, Basic Law Enforcement, Maritime Enforcement Specialist A-School and the Non-Compliant Vessel Pursuit Schoolhouse. These schoolhouses provide training ranging from basic, initial law enforcement officer training to radiation detection and high risk vessel pursuit training. The unit is also the home of the Coast Guard’s Maritime Enforcement Specialist (ME) enlisted rating. MEs provide the Coast Guard with specialized law enforcement qualified personnel who lead the service’s statutory law enforcement mission and enhance the service’s law enforcement training and expertise.
Members of the MLEA’s Advanced Law Enforcement Schoolhouse instruct students on the use of Radiation Detection Equipment at the FLETC Charleston, South Carolina. (Courtesy Photo)
In addition to courses held at the FLETC Charleston, MLEA is responsible for several external training activities, including the Comprehensive Law Enforcement Assessment of Readiness (CLEAR) Branch, which assesses field units’ compliance with Coast Guard law enforcement standards, and the Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) exportable training program that trains personnel to operate in contaminated environments. Additionally, MLEA serves as the parent command for the service’s five Regional Fisheries Training Centers (RFTCs) located in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Charleston, South Carolina, New Orleans, Louisiana, Alameda, California and Kodiak, Alaska. The RFTCs provide tailored, regionally specific fisheries training to Coast Guard law enforcement personnel tasked with enforcing treaties, laws and regulations governing living marine resources.
Maritime Enforcement Specialist A- School students practicing handcuffing during a dynamic evaluation at the Maritime Law Enforcement Academy in Charleston, South Carolina. (Courtesy Photo)
The members of the Maritime Law Enforcement Academy are proud of the training they provide and enjoy hearing of the lessons learned from the operational successes of our former students. We pride ourselves on being the premier provider of all Federal Maritime Law Enforcement Training and our ability to provide the fleet with the training they need to remain Ready, Relevant, and Responsive.
If you have any questions or would like amplifying information about the MLEA please view our website.
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Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers
Protocol & Communications Office
Contact: 912-267-2447