Boarding Officer Practical Course

     

     

     

     

    The Boarding Officer Practical Course (BOPC) is the resident training portion of the Boarding Officer Qualification Support Program (BOQSP) which is designed to provide a foundation in applicable legal concepts, stressing both self-paced (Boarding Officer E-Learning Course) and practical experience (resident course) in maritime law enforcement operations.

    All graduates of ME "A" School and MLEA BTM course graduates are REQUIRED to use the BOPC as the avenue for the initial BO qualification. Due to the accelerated pace of instruction, members who certified BTM via PQS shall be high-performing and experienced BTMs. 

      

    Course Code

    501853

    Qualification Code

    OPSBO

    Length

    10 training days over two weeks.

      

    Curriculum: 

       

    • Authority and Jurisdiction (Review)

    • Use of Force (Review)

    • Tactical Procedures

    • Criminal Law

    • Constitutional Law

    • Defensive Tactics

    • Arrest Procedures

    • Maritime Law Enforcement Boarding Procedures

    • Hazardous Situations

    • Boating Safety Regulations

    • Commercial Fishing Industry Vessel Regulations

    • Boating Under the Influence Enforcement

    • Fraudulent Documents

    • Drug Identification

    Prerequisites for Attendance

     

     

    • BE PREVIOUSLY OR CURRENTLY CERTIFIED AS A BTM (FOR A MINIMUM OF 12 MONTHS).

    • Member has satisfactorily completed and holds a current qualification for the Practical Pistol Course (SIG P229R-Dak .40cal) and Judgmental Use of Force Evaluation (JUFE) Tasks of the U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Competency Qualifications Manual, COMDTINST 16247.3 (series).

    • Members must complete full face exposure (FFE) of OC Pepper Spray prior to attending BOPC and posses a qualification memo signed by their command.

    • Successful completion of the "Introduction to Maritime Law Enforcement" EOCT (IMLE EOCT), found in the LMS system under qualification courses.

    • Member is within maximum allowable weight in accordance with Coast Guard Weight and Body Fat Standards Program Manual, COMDTINST M1020.8 (series).

    • Member has satisfactorily completed the Physical Fitness Standards Task of the U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Competency Qualifications Manual, COMDTINST 16247.3 (series) within 30 days of reporting for training (ALCOAST 502/12).

    • Medical Questionnaire/Fit For Full Duty Status reviewed. Medical questionnaire is available for download from the MLE Academy Website on CG Portal.

    • Upon ETR submission, member must have either 18 months remaining at current unit, or has orders to a unit with the expectation that the member will be serving in an LE capacity. For afloat personnel, member has either 12 months remaining at current unit, or has orders to a unit with the expectation that the member will be serving in an LE capacity; and

    • Member possesses, in the opinion of the CO/OIC, the requisite judgment, maturity, attitude, and aptitude to serve as a Boarding Officer.

    • Note: Failure to meet the above prerequisites may result in disenrollment from the Maritime Law Enforcement Academy.

     Waivers:

     

     

    • All waivers must be approved by COMDT (CG-MLE-2).

      The waiver is located online on the MLE-2 CG Portal page.
       

    • Completion of E-Learning Introduction to Maritime Law Enforcement Course (IMLEC) is currently being waived for ETR submission and course completion due to course construction.

    • Successful completion of the IMLEC EOCT is currently being waived for ETR submission and course completion due to active content revision.

    • How to Apply

    ***Beginning 01SEP2015, in accordance with ALCOAST 083-15, in addition to completion of the Introduction to Maritime Law Enforcement (Course Code: 501852) e-learning course, prospective BOPC candidates will be required to successfully complete the "Introduction to Maritime Law Enforcement" EOCT (1852-1), found in the LMS system under qualification courses, prior to attending the Boarding Officer Practical Course (BOPC) held at the Maritime Law Enforcement Academy (MLEA).***

    Submit ETR through your Training Officer via Direct Access only after all pre-reqs have been met. The ETR is required 45 days in advance of the class convening date. If all pre-reqs are not met and orders are issued to the member, the member's unit will need to submit a cancellation or substitution request through TQC.

    Convenings:

    Visit TQC on the portal for class convenings.

     

     

     

    Course Chief:

     

    LTJG Cory Tomasetti
    U. S. Coast Guard Maritime Law Enforcement Academy
    (843) 746-7984

    Cory.G.Tomasetti@uscg.mil