Conducted Electrical Weapon/Dart-Firing Stun Gun

Course Description

CJK0421 – Conducted Electrical Weapon/Dart-Firing Stun Gun is a short 4-clock-hour certification course carrying zero credit hours. It is the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission (CJSTC) dart-firing stun gun course, delivered under a state-authored lesson plan.

Florida law requires specific training before a criminal justice officer may carry a conducted electrical weapon. This course is that training. It is a discrete certification module rather than part of a degree — it does not count toward an associate degree — and it is taken either as a component of basic recruit training or later as in-service training when an agency issues the device.

Four hours is short, and the course is correspondingly focused. It covers four things: the legal and use-of-force framework governing deployment, the physiological effects of the device on the human body, safe operation of the weapon, and decision-making practiced through role-play scenarios. Contemporary versions of the curriculum place real emphasis on de-escalation as an alternative to deployment — the training is explicit that the device is one option among several and not a default.

The course is offered at approximately 21 Florida institutions, all of them state colleges operating criminal justice training centers or regional public safety academies: Broward, Central Florida, Daytona State, Eastern Florida State, Florida Gateway, Florida State College at Jacksonville, Gulf Coast State, Hillsborough, Indian River State, Miami Dade, North Florida, Northwest Florida State, Palm Beach State, Pasco-Hernando, Pensacola State, Santa Fe, South Florida State, St. Johns River, Seminole State, College of the Florida Keys, and Chipola.

Because the curriculum is written by CJSTC rather than by the individual college, content is consistent statewide. What varies is the device: agencies and academies train on the make and model they actually issue, so the hands-on portion reflects local equipment.

Learning Outcomes

Required Outcomes

• Describe Florida law and agency policy governing the carry and deployment of a conducted electrical weapon.
• Place CEW deployment correctly within the use-of-force continuum and articulate the level of resistance that justifies it.
• Describe the physiological effects of a conducted electrical weapon on the human body, including neuromuscular incapacitation.
• Identify populations and circumstances warranting heightened caution, including pregnancy, elevated fall risk, and proximity to flammable materials.
• Operate the device safely, including loading, spark testing, aiming, deployment, and clearing.
• Describe post-deployment procedures, including probe removal protocols, medical evaluation, and subject monitoring.
• Apply de-escalation techniques and identify circumstances in which deployment should be avoided.
• Demonstrate appropriate decision-making in role-play scenarios.
• Complete required use-of-force documentation and reporting following a deployment.

Optional Outcomes

• Participate in a voluntary exposure experience where the agency or academy offers one.
• Describe device data-download and audit capabilities and their evidentiary use.
• Describe agency-specific reporting and review procedures following deployment.
• Discuss case law developments affecting CEW use.

Major Topics

Required Topics

• Legal framework — Florida statutes, constitutional standards for use of force, and agency policy.
• Use-of-force continuum — where the CEW sits, and the resistance levels that justify deployment.
• Device familiarization — components, cartridges, power, and safety features.
• Physiological effects — neuromuscular incapacitation, effects on the body, and secondary injury risk from falls.
• Special populations and hazards — heightened-risk subjects and environmental hazards including flammable materials.
• Safe operation — carry, spark test, target selection, deployment, and clearing.
• De-escalation — verbal techniques and alternatives to deployment.
• Post-deployment — probe removal, medical evaluation, monitoring, and continued custody.
• Documentation and reporting — use-of-force reports and evidence handling.
• Scenario-based decision-making — role-play under the state lesson plan.

Optional Topics

• Voluntary exposure experience.
• Device data download and audit trails.
• Agency review boards and post-incident analysis.
• Case law and litigation trends.

Resources & Tools

• CJSTC dart-firing stun gun curriculum — the state-authored lesson plan; authoritative for content.
• FDLE Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission — course approval and curriculum revisions.
• Agency use-of-force policy — the operative document for any officer, and typically more restrictive than state minimums.
• Manufacturer documentation for the specific device the academy or agency issues.
• Training devices, inert cartridges, and scenario props; a lab fee normally applies.

Career Pathways

This is a certification module for people already entering or working in criminal justice rather than a course leading independently to employment.

• Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officer (SOC 33-3051) — municipal police departments and sheriff's offices statewide.
• Correctional Officer (SOC 33-3012) — where the agency issues CEWs.
• Correctional Probation Officer and other sworn criminal justice roles.
• Campus and agency police — university and college police departments.

Special Information

How the credit is recorded

Institutions report this course differently, which causes confusion on transcripts. Tallahassee State College lists it as 0 credit hours with 4 clock hours. Florida Gateway College lists the same course as 0.13 occupational credits — the clock hours expressed as a vocational credit fraction. A few catalogs display the figure 4 in a field labeled credit hours, which is the clock-hour count, not four semester credits. All three describe the same 4-hour CJSTC course. It does not count toward an associate degree.

Prerequisites and access

Requirements vary. Some institutions require admission to a criminal justice training program — Tallahassee State requires admission to the Florida Public Safety Institute. Others open the course to sworn officers taking it as in-service training on their agency's behalf. It is generally not available to the general public.

Certification and recertification

Successful completion satisfies the CJSTC training requirement for CEW carry. It is not a lifetime qualification: agencies typically require periodic recertification, and agency policy — not this course — governs the interval and the conditions of carry. Officers should work from their own agency's policy, which is commonly more restrictive than the state minimum.

Position in training

The course is taken either within basic recruit training, alongside firearms and defensive tactics, or later as in-service training when an agency issues the device. It is short and specialized, and is not a prerequisite for other coursework.

A note on the subject matter

The curriculum treats the conducted electrical weapon as a use-of-force option with real risk, not as a harmless alternative. Contemporary versions emphasize de-escalation first, caution with vulnerable subjects, and mandatory medical evaluation after deployment. Guides and instructors should reflect that framing rather than presenting the device as a routine compliance tool.