Ratings and Qualifications Standards
The following are the current Ratings and Qualifications Standards for the NAPD, however they are subject to change soon as the Board of Directors are reevaluating them.
Ratings
Police Diver Tender
All police officers entering the NAPD standardized training curriculum shall begin with the rating of Police Diver Tender, and shall advance through consecutive ratings by meeting the standards set forth by the National Academy of Police Diving board of governors. The required minimum certification shall be open water scuba or equivalent.
Special Response Dive Tender
All students entering the NAPD standardized training curriculum shall begin with the rating of Special Response Dive Tender, and shall advance through consecutive ratings by meeting the standards set forth by the National Academy of Police Diving board of governors. The required minimum certification shall be open water scuba or equivalent.
Police Diver
The rating of Police Diver shall be granted upon successful completion of the NAPD sanctioned 80 Hour Underwater Police Science & Technology course. The rating shall only be in effect as long as the recipient is a law enforcement officer. The minimum total hours of training for the rating of Police Diver shall be 80 hours. (Must attend NAPD UPS&T course)
Special Response Diver
The rating of Special Response Diver shall be granted upon successful completion of the NAPD sanctioned 80 Hour Special Response Underwater Search & Recovery course. The rating shall only be in effect as long as the recipient is a law enforcement officer. The minimum total hours of training for the rating of Special Response Diver shall be 80 hours. (Must attend NAPD SRUS&R course)
Police Diver Specialist
The rating of Police Diver Specialist shall be granted upon successful completion of any NAPD sanctioned Advanced UPS&T course/courses totaling 40 hours or more. (S&R-40, U/W Photography-24, U/W Video-16, Tactical-40, Haz-Mat-24, Delivery-16, U/W Investigation-24, U/W Crime scene-16, Nitrox-16) The minimum total hours of training for the rating of Police Diver Specialist shall be 120 hours. (UPS&T plus 40 hours of Advanced)
Special Response Dive Specialist
The rating of Special Response Dive Specialist shall be granted upon successful completion of any NAPD sanctioned Advanced SRUS&R course/courses totaling 40 hours or more. (S&R-40, U/W Photography-24, U/W Video-16, Tactical-40, Haz-Mat-24, Delivery- 16, U/W Investigation-24, U/W Crime scene-16, Nitrox-16) The minimum total hours of training for the rating of Special Response Dive Specialist shall be 120 hours. (SRUS&R plus 40 hours of Advanced)
Police Diver Technician
The rating of Police Diver Technician shall be granted upon successful completion of any five NAPD sanctioned Advanced UPS&T courses totaling 80 hours or more and must include Haz-Mat specialty. The minimum total hours of training for the rating of Police Diver Technician shall be 160 hours. (UPS&T plus a total aggregate of 80 hours in five Advanced UPS&T specialties)
Special Response Dive Technician
The rating of Special Response Dive Technician shall be granted upon successful completion of any five NAPD sanctioned Advanced UPS&T courses totaling 80 hours or more and must include Haz-Mat specialty. The minimum total hours of training for the rating of Special Response Dive Technician shall be 160 hours. (SRUS&R plus a total aggregate of 80 hours in five Advanced SRUS&R specialties)
Police Dive Team Coordinator
The rating of Police Dive Team Coordinator shall be granted upon successful completion of the NAPD sanctioned Police Dive Team Coordinator course. The minimum total hours of training for the rating of Police Dive Team Coordinator shall be 200 hours and must include Haz-Mat specialty. (UPS&T plus a total aggregate of 80 hours in five Advanced UPS&T specialties including Haz-Mat plus 40 hour Police Dive Team Coordinator course.)
Special Response Dive Team Coordinator
The rating of Special Response Dive Team Coordinator shall be granted upon successful completion of the NAPD sanctioned Special Response Dive Team Coordinator course. The minimum total hours of training for the rating of Special Response Dive Team Coordinator shall be 200 hours and must include Haz-Mat specialty. (SRUS&R plus a total aggregate of 80 hours in five Advanced SRUS&R specialties including Haz-Mat plus 40 hour Special Response Dive Team Coordinator course.)
Police Diver Instructor
The rating of Police Diver Instructor shall be granted upon successful completion of the NAPD sanctioned Police Diver Instructor course, and upon recommendation of the Council. The minimum total hours or training for the rating of Police Diver Instructor shall be 280 hours. (Two years with rating of Police Dive Team Coordinator plus 80 hour Police Diver Instructor course)
Special Response Dive Instructor
The rating of Special Response Dive Instructor shall be granted upon successful completion of the NAPD sanctioned Special Response Dive Instructor course, and upon recommendation of the Council. The minimum total hours or training for the rating of Special Response Dive Instructor shall be 280 hours. (Two years with rating of Special Response Dive Team Coordinator plus 80 hour Special Response Dive Instructor course)
STANDARDS FOR DIVE TEAM MANAGEMENT AND INSTRUCTIONAL RATINGS
NAPD DIVE TEAM SUPERVISOR STANDARDS
Requirements for a NAPD Dive Team Supervisor:
· Be an Active Police Diver with a Public Safety Organization.
· Log at least 24 open water SCUBA Dives with at least 6 Police Dives within the last 12 months.
· Be at least 21 years old.
· Have current certification in CPR and First aid.
· Have a current medical exam for diving.
· Complete a NAPD Dive Team Supervisor Course conducted by a current, certified, and insured NAPD Instructor.
· Have at least an Advanced Police Diver Rating from the NAPD or it's equivalent from a nationally recognized SCUBA certifying organization.
· Have completed an NAPD Rescue Diver Course or its equivalent from a nationally recognized SCUBA certifying organization.
· The recommended number of hours for an NAPD Dive Team Supervisor is 32 to 50.
NAPD INSTRUCTOR STANDARDS
Requirements for NAPD Instructor:
· Be an Active Member of the National Academy of Police Diving.
· Be certified as an Instructor; by the state agency that certifies Public Safety Instructors; in the state that they intend to primarily teach (if applicable).
· Be a current, certified, and insured NAPD Instructor.
· Be a current, certified, and insured SCUBA Instructor with a nationally recognized SCUBA certifying organization.
· Log at least 50 open water SCUBA Dives with at least 12 in the last 12 months and at least 8 employment related dives within the last 12 months.
· Be at least 21 years old.
· Have current certification in CPR and First aid.
· Have a current medical exam for diving.
· Teaching experience at various levels recognized by the diving industry.
· Have been a SCUBA Instructor for at least one year.
· Complete a NAPD Instructor Development Course conducted by a current, certified and insured NAPD Instructor Trainer.
· Complete a NAPD Instructor Evaluation conducted by a current certified and insured NAPD Instructor Evaluator.
· Recommended to and approved by the counsel and a majority of the Board of Directors.
· Have no pending SCUBA related investigations or litigation.
Duties and Responsibilities of a NAPD Instructor:
· A current, certified, and insured NAPD Instructor may conduct any course recognized by the Academy, that the Instructor has received certification from the Academy to teach. An Instructor may NOT issue certifications for which he/she is not certified to teach.
· NAPD Instructors must attend an Instructor Update annually.
· A current, certified, and insured NAPD Instructor may assist an NAPD Instructor Trainer in the certification of other NAPD Instructors.
NAPD INSTRUCTOR TRAINER STANDARDS
Requirements for NAPD Instructor Trainer:
· Be an Active Member of the National Academy of Police Diving.
· Be certified as an Instructor, by the state agency that certifies Public Safety Instructors, in the state that they intend to primarily teach (if applicable).
· Be a current, certified, and insured NAPD Instructor.
· Be a current, certified, and insured SCUBA Instructor with a nationally recognized SCUBA certifying organization.
· Log at least 100 open water SCUBA Dives with at least 12 in the last 12 months and at least 12 employment related dives within the last 12 months.
· Be qualified as a NAPD Instructor for at least two years.
· Be at least 21 years old.
· Have current certification in CPR and First aid.
· Have a current medical exam for diving.
· Teaching experience at various levels recognized by the diving industry.
· Have been a SCUBA Instructor for at least two years.
· Recommended to and approved by the counsel and a majority of the Board of Directors.
· Have no pending SCUBA related investigations or litigation.
Duties and Responsibilities of a NAPD Instructor Trainer:
· A current, certified, and insured NAPD Instructor Trainer may conduct any course recognized by the Academy.
· Instructor Trainer must attend a Trainer Update annually.
· A current, certified, and insured NAPD Instructor Trainer may assist an NAPD Evaluator in the certification of other NAPD Instructor Trainers.
NAPD INSTRUCTOR EVALUATOR STANDARDS
Requirements for NAPD Instructor Evaluator:
· Be an Active Member of the National Academy of Police Diving.
· Be certified as an Instructor, by the state agency that certifies Public Safety Instructors in the state that they intend to primarily teach (if applicable).
· Be a current, certified, and insured NAPD Instructor.
· Be a current, certified, and insured SCUBA Instructor with a nationally recognized SCUBA certifying organization.
· Log at least 100 open water SCUBA Dives with at least 24 in the last 12 months and at least 15 employment related dives within the last 12 months.
· Be at least 25 years old.
· Be qualified as an NAPD Instructor Trainer for at least one year.
· Have current certification in CPR and First aid.
· Have a current medical exam for diving.
· Teaching experience at various levels recognized by the diving industry.
· Have been a SCUBA Instructor for at least three years.
· Recommended to and approved by the counsel and a majority of the Board of Directors.
· Have no pending SCUBA related investigations or litigation.
Duties and Responsibilities of a NAPD Instructor Evaluator:
· A current, certified and insured NAPD Instructor Evaluator may conduct any course recognized by the Academy.
· A current, certified and insured NAPD Instructor Evaluator may assist the Board of Directors with the certification of other Instructor Trainers.
· Instructor Evaluators must attend an Evaluator Update annually.
· An Instructor Evaluator may not evaluate an Instructor that her/she has trained.