Training

Find mandatory trainings for license holders and their employees.

If you are interested in information about becoming licensed, please refer to the general information posted on this site.

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Training course types

Pre-assignment Protective Agent (PPA): These courses must be 12 hours in length and contain all topics outlined in Minnesota Administrative Rule 7506.2600 Subpart 3

Pre-assignment Private Detective (PPD): These courses must be 12 hours in length and contain all topics outlined in Minnesota Administrative Rule 7506.2600 Subpart 4

Continuing Education – Protective Agent (CPA): These courses may be any length and must be “directly related to the field of private detective/investigator or protective agent” per Minnesota Administrative Rule 7506.2700 Subpart 2

Continuing Education – Private Detective (CPD): These courses may be any length and must be “directly related to the field of private detective/investigator or protective agent” per Minnesota Administrative Rule 7506.2700 Subpart 2

Continuing Education – Private Detective & Protective Agent (CPDPA): These courses may be any length and must be “directly related to the field of private detective/investigator or protective agent” per Minnesota Administrative Rule 7506.2700 Subpart 2

Initial Armed Training (IA): These courses must be 6 hours in length and contain all of the topics outlined in Minnesota Administrative Rule 7506.2200 Subpart 1. Firearms instructors must have a current certification listed in Minnesota Administrative Rule 7506.2300 Subpart 4

Continuing Armed Training (CA): These courses may be any length and may contain any of the topics outlined in Minnesota Administrative Rule 7506.2200 Subpart 1. Firearms instructors must have a current certification listed in Minnesota Administrative Rule 7506.2300 Subpart 4

Training requirements for license holders and employees

Pre-assignment training requirement – 12 hours for ALL employees

Protective Agent license holders must take a ‘PPA’ course type

Private Detective license holders must take a ‘PPD’ course type

Must be completed within 21 days of hire date per Minnesota Administrative Rule 7506.2600 Subpart 1

Pre-assignment training must be repeated if the employee leaves the industry for longer than 3 years per Minnesota Administrative Rule 7506.2600 Subpart 1

Continuing education requirement – 6 hours/year for ALL employees

Protective Agent license holders may take the following course types: PPA, CPA, CPDPA

Private Detective license holders may take the following course types: PPD, CPD, CPDPA
Armed Protective Agents may also use the following course types for continuing education: IA, CA

Initial armed training requirement – 6 hours for ARMED employees

Course must be an ‘IA’ course type

This is a one-time course requirement – it does not need to be repeated

Must be completed prior to providing licensable services in an armed capacity

Continuing armed training requirement – 6 hours/year for ARMED employees

Course must be an ‘IA’ or ‘CA’ course type

As part of the 6 hours required, an approved first aid course must be taken (Minnesota Administrative Rule 706.2700 Subpart 2, Paragraph B)

This requirement is in addition to the 6 hours/year of continuing education.

Annual requirements

The annual requirements listed above for continuing education and continuing armed training follow the license year, not the calendar year or the employee’s hire date.

Example: License is approved/renewed on 05/25/2025. Year one training must take place between 05/01/2025 and 04/30/2026. Year two training must take place between 05/01/2026 and 04/30/2027

If an employee’s hire date falls within year one of the license year, their pre-assignment training satisfies their year one training. They must still complete 6 hours of continuing education during year two of the license period.

If an employee begins working in an armed capacity during year one of the license year, their initial armed training satisfies their year one armed training. They must still complete 6 hours of continuing armed training during year two of the license period.

Approved training courses

The courses listed here have been approved and are offered to outside students. Records for courses not offered to outside students are retained internally. If you are a current training provider or instructor and wish to review your currently-approved courses, please contact agency staff.

Course approval is limited to ensuring course content and instructors meet the requirements of Minnesota Statutes and Rules and is not an endorsement by the board or a guarantee of quality.

Board Certified Training Courses

Training applications

Prior to submitting a course for approval, please ensure your course meets the requirements listed in the descriptions above for the course type you are submitting. Include ALL relevant attachments (course outline, slide deck/PowerPoint slides, quizzes, handouts, instructor resumes, instructor certifications, etc.) to your application to assist with the approval process.

Training course applications, instructor applications, and requests for equivalent training may take up to 30 days to process, depending on the course type and if all needed information was submitted with the application.

Training Course Application: Use this if you are a training provider seeking board-certification of a course.
New Training Instructor Application: Use this to add a new instructor to a course that has already been approved by the Board.
Request for Equivalent Training: Use this if you are a license holder seeking approval of a course for your continuing education.

Minnesota Department of Public Safety