Law Enforcement Continuing Education and In-Service Training

A-B Tech will be hosting Advanced Crisis Negotiation, presented by Lorenzo Ortiz with the Phoenix Police Department. This one-day course is designed to enhance communication, decision-making, and crisis response strategies for law enforcement professionals.

Course Highlights:

• Stop trying to control the outcome
• Negotiations through the polyvagal lens
• Identifying and managing narcissism

Training Details:

• Date: Monday, May 4
• Time: 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
• Location:
  • A-B Tech Woodfin 
    24 Canoe Lane
    Asheville, NC

There is no cost to attend, and participants will receive 8 hours of training credit through A-B Tech. The course will also include case debriefs and opportunities to connect with fellow professionals across agencies.

This training offers a unique perspective on crisis negotiation and is well-suited for officers, supervisors, and anyone involved in high-stakes communication scenarios.

If you are interested or would like to reserve potential spots for your agency, please fill out a registration form and email it back to robertdfisher@abtech.edu or cecilycanderson@abtech.edu.

The A-B Tech Law Enforcement Training Unit located at A-B Tech Woodfin is partnering with the Asheville Police Department to offer the Forensics Testing for Alcohol (FTA) Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE) certification.

To attend, you must successfully register on the NC Justice Academy Training Portal under available training for ARIDE.

Full Description of Course:

ARIDE is intended to bridge the gap between the SFST and the Drug Evaluation and Classification Program by providing officers with general knowledge related to drug impairment and by promoting the use of Drug Recognition Experts (DREs). The ARIDE program stresses the importance of the signs and symptoms of the seven (7) drug categories.

This course will train law enforcement officers to observe, identify, and articulate the signs of impairment related to drugs and/or alcohol, thereby reducing the number of impaired driving incidents and crashes that cause serious injuries and fatalities.

Students are required to demonstrate proficiency in the administration of Standardized Field Sobriety Tests on the first day of class and must have successfully completed an approved NHTSA/IACP DWI Detection and Standardized Field Sobriety Testing training prior to being eligible to attend ARIDE training.

Training Dates:

• 04/09/2026 - 04/10/2026 (We realize this is a quick turnaround, but we have seats still available.)
• 05/26/2025 - 05/27/2026

All Training Times:

• 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Prerequisites:

In order to be considered for training in ARIDE, a candidate shall be in the employ, including part-time and unpaid positions, and under the direct control of a public criminal justice agency involved in the enforcement of criminal or traffic safety laws as a credentialed law enforcement officer/employee or an institution involved in providing training services to officers of law enforcement agencies.

The ARIDE candidate shall have attended and successfully completed a NHTSA/IACP approved DWI Detection & Standardized Field Sobriety Testing (SFST) training course within two years from the start date of the ARIDE training class.

An approved SFST training course within the previous two years includes the following:

• DWI Detection & Standardized Field Sobriety Testing - initial training (24 hours)
• DWI Detection & Standardized Field Sobriety Testing - initial training (28 hours)
• DWI Detection & Standardized Field Sobriety Testing Refresher (4 hours)
• DWI Detection & Standardized Field Sobriety Testing Refresher (8 hours)

Hours:

• 16h 0m

Fee:

• None Specified

Training Location:

A-B Tech Community College
Law Enforcement Training Center
A-B Tech Woodfin
24 Canoe Lane
Asheville, NC 28804 (Buncombe County)

Additional Details:

• Class Contact: Shelby Middleton
• Class Contact Email: smiddleton@ashevillenc.gov
• Class Contact Telephone: (828) 772-5957

• Date: June 22 - June 26
• Time: 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
• Location:
  • A-B Tech Woodfin
    Emergency Service Training Building, Room #239
    24 Canoe Lane, Woodfin

A-B Tech is partnering with VAYA Health to offer Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training from Monday, June 22, 2026, through Friday, June 26, 2026.

Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training fosters a collaborative partnership among law enforcement/first responders, behavioral health providers, and individuals and families affected by mental health or substance use disorders, intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD), and traumatic brain injury (TBI).

CIT aims to divert individuals from the criminal justice system by identifying alternatives and connecting them to appropriate care.

Designed to enhance safety, CIT helps to de-escalate crisis situations, guide people to the right behavioral health services, strengthen community relationships, and reduce arrests.

Based on the “Memphis Model,” developed in 1988, CIT has become a widely recognized best practice, with resources available through CIT International.

If you wish to attend, please send registration forms to scottcpruett@abtech.edu.

LT Mike Murphy with the Buncombe Co. Sheriff’s Office will be the Lead Instructor for this course.

Participants have three weeks to complete all 26 credits and must complete all blocks of instruction in order to receive successful completion.

2026

• 03/16/2026 – 04/06/2026
• 03/26/2026 – 04/16/2026
• 04/03/2026 – 04/24/2026
• 04/08/2026 – 04/29/2026
• 04/16/2025 – 05/07/2026
• 04/25/2026 – 05/16/2026
• 05/02/2026 – 05/23/2026
• 05/17/2026 – 06/07/2026
• 05/30/2026 – 06/20/2026
• 06/19/2026 – 07/10/2026
• 08/05/2026 – 08/26/2026
• 09/01/2026 – 09/22/2026
• 10/06/2026 – 10/27/2026
• 10/25/2025 – 11/15/2025
• 11/28/2026 – 12/19/2026
• 12/10/2026 – 12/31/2026

Please Note: CJ Standards no longer allows for the Firearms Classroom block to be offered online.

Please print off this registration form, complete it, and e-mail it back to Lt Mike Murphy at michael.murphy@buncombecounty.org.

A-B Tech is partnering with the Southern Police Institute (SPI) and the Asheville Police Department (APD) to offer the SPI 5-day (40-hour) course entitled Personnel, Assessment and Liability course to be held at Buncombe County Public Safety Training Facility, 24 Canoe Lane, Asheville, NC 28804.

Personnel, Development, Assessment, and Liability Course for the Southern Police Institute and the Asheville Police Department for September 14 - 18, 2026, beginning at 8:00 a.m. and ending at 5:00 p.m. daily.

• Date: August 25-26
• Time: 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
• Location: A-B Tech Woodfin Auditorium

No cost for all agencies

January 2026

• Basic Lidar Operator - January 13, 2026
• Radar Recert - January 14, 2026
• Radar & Lidar Recert - January 15, 2026
• State Testing - January 16, 2026

February 2026

• Basic Radar Operator - February 23 - 25, 2026
• Radar Recert - February 26, 2026
• Radar & Lidar Recert - February 26, 2026
• State Testing - February 27, 2026

March 2026

• Radar Recert - March 23, 2026
• Radar & Lidar Recert - March 24, 2026

* Written examination for both on 04/02/2026 at Western Piedmont Community College

May 2026

• Basic Radar Operator - May 25 - 27, 2026
• Radar Recert May 28, 2026
• Radar & Lidar Recert May 28, 2026
• State Testing May 29, 2026

June 2026

• Basic Lidar Operator - June 22, 2026
• Radar Recert - June 23, 2026
• Radar & Lidar Recert - June 24, 2026
• State Testing - June 25, 2026

September 2026

• Basic Radar Operator - September 21 - 23, 2026
• Radar Recert - September 24, 2026
• Radar & Lidar Recert - September 24, 2026
• State Testing - September 25, 2026

November 2026

• Basic Radar Operator - November 16 - 18, 2026
• Radar Recert - November 19, 2026
• Radar & Lidar Recert - November 20, 2026
• State Testing - November 23, 2026

All basic and recertification testing will occur at A-B Tech Woodfin the same week as training.

A copy of the operator’s current, valid operator certificate must accompany registration forms for recertification classes.

A current, valid Radar operator certificate must accompany any registration forms for Lidar Operator school.

• Date: June 16 - June 18
• Time: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• Location: A-B Tech Woodfin — Room 235

Please print off this registration form, complete it, and e-mail it back to Lt. Mike Murphy at michael.murphy@buncombecounty.org.

• Dates:
  • August 31 - September 4
  • November 2 - 6
• Time: 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
• Location: A-B Tech Woodfin — Room 202

• Dates:
  • July 7 - 10
  • October 29 - 30
  • December 7 - 9
• Time: 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
• Location: A-B Tech Woodfin — Room 202

To sign up: Go to Acadis and register under the class name Forensics Testing for Alcohol.

NLEFIA

• Hosted By: Buncombe County Sheriff's Office
• Dates: August 18-19, 2026
• Location: A-B Tech Woodfin — Room 239