Rev. 1/23/14 Protocol and Communications Office

Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers

FLETC Office of Cheltenham Operations Overview

The National Capital Region is home to 60-plus federal law enforcement agencies along with several state 

and local agencies. These agencies have a critical need for in-service/requalification training, particularly

firearms, driver and tactics training. In response to this identified need, Congress enacted Public Law 106-

346 in 2000, which directed the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC) “to establish and 

operate a metropolitan area law enforcement training center.” The Office of Cheltenham Operations 

(OCH) began large-scale training in 2004 and has experienced significant growth since. The primary 

mission of the facility is to provide advanced and in-service firearms, driver and tactics training to 

approximately 20,000 officers and agents in the National Capital Region. The facility also serves the 

Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department and state and local law enforcement agencies on a 

space-available basis. 

The OCH is located 15 miles southeast of downtown Washington, D.C., on a 250-acre facility, formerly a

U.S. Navy Communications Station, which the FLETC acquired on May 29, 2001. The OCH provides 

state-of-the-art training technologies; educational and conference facilities; multi-purpose classrooms for 

professional development, leadership and management training; as well as computer training labs. The 

site is also home to the United States Capitol Police Academy, the Pentagon Force Protection Agency 

Academy, and the Prince Georges County Fire Academy.

The OCH indoor firearms range offers 108 firing points divided among seven ranges. These ranges are 

enclosed in an environmentally safe 151,605-square-foot building, which includes a 100-yard range with 

11 firing points. It is arguably the largest indoor range in the country. Adjacent to the indoor firing range 

is a tactical village that features several building complexes constructed using large shipping containers. 

The village also includes tactical training houses, junker alley, and a cover and concealment course. The 

tactical village also includes a 100x50 ft indoor tactical venue designed to conduct close quarters training 

such as active shooter. These facilities are used for a variety of in-service and advanced tactical training 

programs.

 

The site is also the home of the FLETC’s first combined skills driving range where students learn law 

enforcement driving skills in a real-world environment. A few of the amenities included in the 1.3 mile 

range are: areas where the range can be wetted down via remote control, street lights, stop signs, 

intersections, changing road surfaces, on and off ramps, and multiple traffic lanes. The range also has a 

skid pad and three non-emergency vehicle operations grids. Additionally, OCH has one of the most 

challenging off-road courses in the area consisting of nearly two miles of rugged terrain, water fording 

areas and natural obstacles such as trees and rocks. 

In June 2012 the renovation of the former Navy Headquarters Building was completed, adding a 24-

person classroom and 24-person computer lab. This complex also includes a large training venue for 

infrastructure protection training along with state-of-the-art equipment that includes an ion scan, 

magnetometer, x-ray machine, and Pelco cameras and monitoring system. These tools are all dedicated to 

physical security training.

www.fletc.gov