PURPOSE: This rule outlines the requirements for continuing education courses recognized by the board for private investigator and agency investigator employees.

1. (1) Continuing Education Courses.

   1. (A) Attendance at continuing education courses is required to renew private investigator or licensed agency investigator employee licenses.

   2. (B) Continuing education courses used to satisfy the legal requirements for renewal must be approved by the board. Courses will be reviewed for compliance with the following criteria:

      1. 1. The course must be relevant to the practice of private

investigation;

1. 2. The course must be described in a lesson plan that in-

cludes:

1. A. The title of the course;
2. B. The name and qualifications of the instructor;
3. C. A description of the intended audience;
4. D. Identification of any prerequisites;
5. E. Bibliographic identification of source materials;
6. F. A list of the points of instruction referenced to the

source materials;

1. G. An appendix containing any handouts, audio-visual

displays, or other materials used in the delivery of the lesson; and

1. H. A statement of the hours of credit that will be granted

upon completion of the course; not more than one (1) hour’s credit for every fifty (50) minutes of instruction time;

1. 3. The course must provide immediate personal interac-

tion between the instructor and the student. Distance learning courses can be approved. Any type of correspondence course, notwithstanding its quality, will not be approved for continuing education credit. The video replay of a course may be approved; however, an instructor who can provide immediate, personal interaction with the student must be present throughout the presentation;

1. 4. A course will not be approved unless the course review

fee is paid;

1. 5. Any member of the board or its staff shall be admitted

to the course or any part thereof without a fee; however, no continuing education credit will be allowed for attendance under this provision; and

1. 6. The course shall be taught in a facility that is reasonably

clean and comfortable consistent with the learning objectives of the course, with appropriate provision or access to facilities for the personal needs of the students and instructors.

1. (C) Private investigators and agency investigator employees cannot take the same course consecutively without submitting a written request to the board to take the same course. The request to repeat the course must include the reason for repeating the course.

1. (2) Reporting Attendance.

   1. (A) Continuing education providers shall have in place reasonable procedures to record attendance.

      1. 1. The board shall be advised of these procedures in the

application for approval of a course. Approval of a course may be withheld if the board is not satisfied that the procedures are adequate to accurately record attendance.

1. 2. Attendance records, which need not be individual, shall

include the following minimum information:

1. A. Attendee’s name;
2. B. Attendee’s license number;
3. C. Number of hours of continuing education credit

earned;

1. D. Name of the course;
2. E. Date of the course; and
3. F. Board’s approval number.
4. (B) The original, or a true copy, of the attendance record for any continuing education course shall be delivered to the board within two (2) weeks of the conclusion of any presentation of the course.

5. (C) Any person who successfully completes the course shall be presented with a certificate to that effect within two (2) weeks of the completion of the course. The certificate shall at a minimum state:

   1. 1. Attendee’s name;
   2. 2. Attendee’s license number;
   3. 3. Number of hours of continuing education credit earned;
   4. 4. Name of the course;
   5. 5. Date of the course; and
   6. 6. Board’s approval number.

1. (3) Special Approval of Courses.

   1. (A) Any licensed private investigator or licensed agency investigator employee may petition the board to approve a particular course that he or she has attended or may attend that is offered by a person who has not complied with this board’s continuing education rules.

      1. 1. The application shall be accompanied by the individual

course review fee.

1. 2. The materials set out in subsection (1)(B) of this rule

should accompany the application. If any of the materials set out in subsection (1)(B) of this rule are not available, the applicant may provide supplemental material. The board may decline to approve the course for lack of sufficient information.

1. 3. Proof of attendance, or a proposal for establishing proof

of attendance, shall be included with the application.

1. 4. Private investigators and agency investigator employees

cannot take the same course consecutively without submitting a written request to the board to take the same course. The request to repeat the course must include the reason for repeating the course.

1. (B) Any licensed private investigator or licensed agency investigator employee may submit evidence of a completed Peace Officer Standards and Training Program (POST) approved course for continuing education credit without submitting an individual course review application and fee.

1. (4) Continuing Education Reporting Period.

   1. (A) Every private investigator licensed in Missouri shall, on or before February 28, 2014, and every two (2) years thereafter, obtain and report to the board proof of completion of sixteen

2. (16) continuing education hours.

   1. 1. Private Investigators are not required to obtain and re-

port evidence of continuing education hours within their first renewal reporting cycle.

1. 2. Agency Investigator Employees are not required to ob-

tain and report evidence of continuing education hours within their first renewal reporting cycle.

1. (B) Every agency investigator employee licensed in Missouri shall, on or before April 30, 2014, and every two (2) years thereafter, obtain and report to the board proof of completion of eight (8) continuing education hours.
2. (C) A reporting cycle for private investigators is March 1 to February 28 of every even year.
3. (D) A reporting cycle for agency investigator employees is May 1 to April 30 of every even year.
4. (E) If in any of the two- (2-) year reporting cycles the number of continuing education credits earned exceeds sixteen (16) for private investigators and eight (8) for agency investigator employees the excess credits over sixteen (16) for private investigators and eight (8) for agency investigator employees may be carried over to the next two- (2-) year reporting cycle up to a maximum of sixteen (16) for private investigators and eight

1. (8) for agency investigator employees.

   1. (F) Licensees who attend an open meeting session of the Missouri Board of Private Investigator and Private Fire Investigator Examiners will receive one (1) hour of continuing education credit. To qualify, licensees must sign in at the beginning of the open meeting session and sign out at the end of the open meeting session. This continuing education credit does not qualify as directly related to the updating and maintaining of knowledge and skills in conducting private investigation business.

AUTHORITY: sections 324.1122, 324.1126, and 324.1138, RSMo 2016.* Original rule filed June 26, 2009, effective Jan. 30, 2010. Amended: Filed Sept. 13, 2013, effective March 30, 2014. Amended: Filed Jan. 5, 2021, effective July 30, 2021. Amended: Filed Sept. 2, 2025, effective Feb. 28, 2026. *Original authority: 324.1122, RSMo 2007, amended 2011; 324.1126, RSMo 2007, amended 2010; and 324.1138, RSMo 2007, amended 2011.