Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training

About the Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training

Established in 1963, the Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training (CLEET) supports Oklahoma law enforcement in serving its communities. That includes enhancing public safety by providing the training and education necessary to help promote professionalism and enhance competency within the ranks of Oklahoma law enforcement. It also supports private security, private investigators, and bail enforcers across the state through education and licensing requirements, thereby enhancing training and proficiency within the private security industry.

A venerable regulator mired in complexity and paper-based processes 

Based in Oklahoma, CLEET has been supporting the state’s thousands of active, reserve, and retired peace officers and other law enforcement professionals for more than 60 years. In addition to providing education and training for Oklahoma law enforcement, CLEET also manages and regulates the licensing and training of private security, private investigative, and bail enforcement professionals.

Throughout most of its six-decade history, the licensing process at CLEET was an extremely manual one. New and existing licensees would complete paper application and renewal forms and mail them in. Meanwhile, staff would have to process those applications and enter the information into a database by hand. “It was a tedious and time-consuming process, and one that left our customers in the dark about where they stood in the application and renewal process,” says CLEET’s General Counsel, Preston Draper. “It wasn’t a very good experience for staff and it created a liability for us since there was always the risk that someone on the team would make a mistake while entering an applicant’s information.”

Another challenge was that not only did CLEET license more than 20 different professions, including peace officers, security guards, private investigators, and polygraph examiners, there were also subtle differences between the licensing requirements for many of the license types. Staff also had to deal with different categories of private license types, including temporary licenses during the application process, regular licenses, regular licenses for armed individuals, and renewals. Many licensees also sought out a combination of licenses, which made managing the process even more complex.

In search of a better approach

It was because of these and other challenges that CLEET began looking for a different solution in early 2020. After talking to numerous vendors, the team ultimately decided to go with Thentia, the preferred regulatory platform already in use across much of the state.

Adopting Thentia brought immediate benefits, not only helping CLEET to manage a highly regulated profession, but also giving applicants a way to apply for and renew their licenses online. “It’s a really user-friendly system that allows constituents to see when their application has been submitted and for us to be able to respond quickly if something is missing or we need more information,” says CLEET Chief of Staff Janey Rowden. “That’s gone a long way toward creating a better experience for the law enforcement community we serve.”

Since onboarding Thentia, CLEET has efficiently processed a higher volume of applications and renewals, including those from out-of-state, without the need to increase staff. Additionally, the Education Provider Portal—an enhancement to Thentia’s platform significantly influenced by CLEET’s contributions and which now offers benefits to all Thentia customers—has greatly improved their complex regulatory environment. The Portal seamlessly integrates continuing education workflows, streamlining processes for all users while enabling educational institutions to apply to become approved providers, have individual courses approved, upload class rosters, and pay fees.

The Portal allows licensees to search for and select verified courses directly in the Licensee Portal while also allowing approved institutions to upload a roster of all of the professionals who completed a particular course as part of their continuing education requirements. That data then automatically syncs to the corresponding licensee records, saving CLEET time.

The road ahead

As CLEET advances with Thentia Cloud, Executive Director Darry Stacy envisions a transformative future, furthering their commitment to enhancing service for Oklahoma’s law enforcement and allied professionals. “By partnering with Thentia and embracing digital solutions, we’ve revolutionized the licensing process, making it more accessible and efficient for everyone involved. Today, our customers experience an online platform, enabling them to apply for, renew, and manage their licenses with ease.”

Stacy adds, “This isn’t just about paperwork; it’s about enhancing customer service and building trust within our community. Together, we’re shaping a safer and more efficient future for Oklahoma Law Enforcement.”

Rowden agrees, noting that adopting Thentia will continue to foster greater trust with citizens across the state. “Our customers now have a really great system,” she says. “They are able to see, do, and track their individual records, which is a big win.”