CPTED Training - Standard Courses

Introduction to CPTED Training

CPTED training has historically been provided to persons primarily working in crime prevention units.  However, with a changing emphasis to problem solving by field officers, the need for CPTED training has greatly expanded to other law enforcement personnel and individuals involved in community planning. 

To accommodate the various training needs of persons involved in CPTED, or those who are interested in learning about CPTED, a three-tiered approach serves as the better option to adequate training.  CPTED is a fairly technical subject and requires not only training in the concepts, but also application of them in the built environment and during the pre-construction planning phase.

CPTED Course Offerings

CPTED involves the application of theories and concepts, thus a person only becomes proficient through experience followed by additional training.  The three-course approach, BASIC - INTERMEDIATE - ADVANCED, is designed to systematically train individuals as they gain experience and delve into more technical aspects of CPTED.


The BASIC course introduces CPTED concepts and their application to various environments.  It is important to understand CPTED as a theory and then how universal concepts can be applied to any environment.  An emphasis is placed on solving existing crime problems in the built environment.

Persons benefiting from the BASIC course include:  Crime prevention personnel; Community Oriented Policing and Problem Oriented Policing personnel; law enforcement supervisors of crime prevention units; community planners, both public and private; architects; and elected officials.


The INTERMEDIATE course should be taken by those persons seeking additional knowledge in CPTED and who are involved in the initial stages of the community planning process.  This is a very proactive approach, applying CPTED concepts to the planning stages of buildings, complexes, neighborhoods, and the community in general.  It is technical, dealing with blueprints, tract maps, ordinances, codes, and the community planning process.  It also takes a more in-depth analysis of certain environments such as high density residential, public housing, and mixed use developments.  Without a basic working knowledge of CPTED, which includes applying concepts to existing environments and evaluating these efforts, this INTERMEDIATE course would not be suited to an inexperienced person. 

Individuals who should take the INTERMEDIATE course are:  Persons who took the BASIC course and have at least six months experience in applying CPTED concepts; and crime prevention or other personnel assigned to review pre-construction development plans.


An ADVANCED course is offered which is more technical and specialized than the previous two courses.  In-depth studies are presented on selected environments and internal operations (i.e., enclosed malls, fast food restaurants, banks, hotels, government buildings, single residence occupancy operations) which present unique challenges to design.  Other ideas on CPTED applications relating to electronic security, lighting, color, and fragrance are also presented.  This course is for the CPTED practitioner who actively works in this field and desires to expand their knowledge on CPTED to deal effectively with challenging environments. 

Persons attending the ADVANCED course should have completed the BASIC and INTERMEDIATE courses and have at least one year working with CPTED concepts.

Click here for Course Outlines:

BasicCourse
IntermediateCourse
AdvancedCourse