Law Enforcement Television Network

How does it Work?

LETN is known for examining training issues associated with tragedies and helping the law enforcement community gain insight needed for the next challenge. Like a cable network for law enforcement officers, LETN provides subscribers with a variety of training and educational programs. Viewers can tune into both live and prerecorded programs on a variety of law enforcement topics. LETN's satellite feed programs come from such sources as the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the National Sheriffs’ Association, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Once recorded, these programs are broadcast numerous times during the course of a month.

Illinois was the first state to introduce this training method. The Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board (ILETSB) needed to deliver training to part-time officers scattered throughout the state and distance learning was the answer. In 1997, the ILETSB graduated a class of 200 part-time officers who completed a 12-month intensive Basic Training Program conducted via television.

Combining curriculum-based training and technology, LETN developed the Specialized Training, Testing and Recordkeeping System (STTAR). This system comes with a desktop computer system that allows students to view live LETN satellite broadcasts. The system's touch screen and voice instructions make computer literacy unnecessary. The STTAR program also serves as a paperless database, giving departments an easy and efficient way to track their inservice training. A video recorder hookup makes it possible to record live programs or watch prerecorded tapes. Students can take pre- and post-tests on the computer and send them electronically to LETN for grading. The Mission Police Department, in Texas, viewed the pretest as an eye-opening experience for officers going through the training. In order to evaluate the students’ skill levels or knowledge, they are tested before watching a training program. The officers are amazed at how little they know about properly handling a crisis situation compared to what they think they know.

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