What is the Difference?
In the Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) world, there are two main training providers for CPTED and two certification designations. What is the difference and which ones are right for you?
CPTED is a form of crime prevention that utilizes environmental modification to achieve the goal of reducing the fear of crime, reducing the incidence of crime, and improving the quality of life. It is experiencing a rapid rise in popularity due to its low-key effectiveness that does not rely on physical target hardening or police response. Architects, planners, code enforcement, fire departments, private security, police officers, school district officials, non-government organizations, private corporations, volunteers, and people around the world are being trained in CPTED and are putting it to use on a daily basis.
In-Person Basic and Advanced CPTED Courses?
Both training providers offer a five-day Basic CPTED course using the same materials. Both use group projects and team charrettes, blueprint exercises, and include a field survey of a site along with a group presentation of findings. Both require the attendee to pass an exam at the end of the course.
The FCPTI also offers an alternative Basic CPTED course for anyone that desires a concentration on CPTED for Schools such as School Resource Officers and school administrators. That five-day CPTED for Schools course counts the same as the Basic CPTED course for certification purposes in FCPTI.
Both NICP and FCPTI offer a three-day Advanced CPTED course but there is a slight difference between the two. The FCPTI course includes a lighting survey section where students use light meters to conduct a short lighting survey and gain experience evaluating illumination levels and quality. The NICP course substitutes a block of instruction in CPTED for Schools rather than the lighting survey.
| Advanced CPTED Includes | |
 | FCPTI- Lighting survey using illumination meters in place of CPTED for Schools (4-hour block) |
 | NICP – CPTED for Schools in place of lighting survey (4-hour block) |
Both NICP and FCPTI Courses are open to people from any state or nation. Both regularly have students attending from around the world. You do not need to be located in Florida to attend FCPTI courses.
Prerequisites?
The FCPTI requires that the Basic CPTED course (or the comparable CPTED for Schools course) be completed before you are allowed to take the advanced CPTED course. The NICP permits the student to take them in any order, although it is recommended to take the Basic course before the Advanced course.
In-person or online CPTED training?
NICP offers the Basic CPTED and the Advanced CPTED courses both in-person and online. The in-person courses are held in multiple locations throughout the US including Florida. The online courses include the same material but are designed for individuals rather than groups. They are open to anyone and have included numerous international students. There is no time limit for the online courses, and they may be completed as the student’s schedule permits.
Currently, the FCPTI conducts only in-person courses and does not have online CPTED training available.
Specialized CPTED topics?
NICP students do not need to take the Basic CPTED course or the five-day CPTED for Schools course from FCPTI to be eligible to enroll in one of the specialized topics. The NICP offers the following two-day (16 hour) courses both in-person and online:
- CPTED for Schools
- CPTED for Houses of Worship
- CPTED for Healthcare Facilities (Coming soon)
- CPTED Communities (Placemaking)
The FCPTI offers the following three-day (24 hour) in-person courses in Florida:
- CPTED for Houses of Worship
- CPTED for Healthcare Facilities (Coming soon)
Students must take the Basic CPTED course or the five-day CPTED for Schools course from FCPTI to be eligible to enroll in one of the specialized topics.
Designations?
Each training provider offers a designation upon successful completion of both the Basic CPTED course and the Advanced CPTED course.
CPD
The NICP offers the CPTED Professional Designation (CPD) upon successful completion of both the Basic and Advanced, either in-person or online. The CPD designation is good for four years. After four years, you must complete one of the two-day (16 hour) specialized topic courses to renew for another four years. You may take these courses either in-person or online. Complete information is on the NICP CPTED Professional Designation (CPD) Credential page.
FCP
FCPTI offers the Florida Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design Practitioner (FCP) designation upon successful completion of both the Basic and Advanced courses. The FCP designation is good for three years, after which you must take a one-day in-person CPTED Update course through FCPTI to renew for another three years. Complete information is on the FCPTI Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design Practitioner page.
Are the CPTED courses interchangeable between providers?
To receive the designation for either provider, you must take both the Basic and Advanced courses from that provider. You cannot take the Basic course from one provider and the Advanced course from the other provider. Likewise, you must take the applicable renewal course from the provider that issued your initial designation.
Which CPTED training provider is right for you?
Here is some information to help you decide.
- Because I am an instructor for both providers, I can confirm that the information provided in the Basic and Advanced courses is the same with the one exception listed above.
- If you want to take your courses online, your only option is the NICP.
- If you want in-person training in a state other than Florida, you will need to take the NICP courses.
- If you want your training under the umbrella of the Florida Attorney General’s Office, you must take the FCPTI courses.
- If you are located in Florida and the Florida FCP designation is important to you, then you will need the FCPTI courses.
- If you are looking for a national designation to put on your business card, you may want the NICP CPD designation.
- If you are not part of a law enforcement agency and you are interested in conducting CPTED assessments of multi-family housing under the new Florida Statute 768.0706 (HB 837) you will need to earn your Florida CPTED Practitioner designation through the FCPTI.
Summary
| National Institute of Crime Prevention | Florida Crime Prevention Training Institute | |
|---|---|---|
| | | |
| Provider type | Private company | Program of the Florida Office of the Attorney General |
| Basic CPTED Course | 5-day (40 hour) | 5-day (40 hour) |
| Advanced CPTED Course | 3-day (24 hour) Can take before or after Basic from NICP. | 3-day (24 hour) Must have taken Basic course from FCPTI first. |
| CPTED for Schools 5-day (40 hour) | No. | Yes. Counts the same as Basic CPTED from FCPTI. |
| In-person or online | In-person and online. | In-person only. |
| In-person training locations | Classes held throughout USA. | Classes held mainly in Florida. |
| Designation | CPTED Professional Designation (CPD) upon successful completion of both the Basic and Advanced from NICP. | Florida Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design Practitioner (FCP) designation upon successful completion of both the Basic and Advanced from FCPTI. |
| Interchangeable | No. Must take both Basic and Advanced from NICP. | No. Must take both Basic and Advanced from FCPTI. |
| Designation duration | 4 years | 3 years |
| Designation renewal | Must take a 2-day (16 hour) course online or in-person from NICP to renew for another 4 years. | Must take a 1-day (8 hour) course in-person from FCPTI to renew for another 3 years. |
| Counts as Practitioner for Florida Statute 768.0706 (HB 837) | No. | Yes. |
| CPTED for Schools 2-day (16 hour) | Yes. Counts as renewal for designation. Do not need to have taken any other course as a prerequisite. | No. |
| CPTED for Houses of Worship | Yes. 2-day (16 hour) in-person and online course counts as renewal for designation. Do not need to have taken any other course as a prerequisite. | Yes. 3-day (24 hour) in person course in Florida. Must have taken Basic or CPTED for Schools course from FCPTI first. |
| CPTED for Healthcare Facilities | 2-day (16 hour) in-person and online course coming soon. Counts as renewal for designation. Do not need to have taken any other course as a prerequisite. | 3-day (24 hour) in-person course coming soon. Must have taken Basic or CPTED for Schools course from FCPTI first. |
| CPTED Communities (Placemaking) | Yes. 2-day (16 hour) in-person and online course counts as renewal for designation. Do not need to have taken any other course as a prerequisite. | No. |
CPTED Associations
There are two prominent CPTED associations that you should consider joining. Watch for another post to find out what each one offers and the differences between them.
