Updated Jan 4, 2020
Here are some Frequently Asked Questions posed by many IDPA MD's and competitors in the Michigan Area.
How does one renew their SO designated status?
- When your SO expiration date nears, you will renew your SO status by taking an on-line test. You should receive an email reminder from IDPA HQ (so make sure your email is up to date on the IDPA web site). The test can be found at www.idpa.com/misc. You can take the test up to 6 months before its expiration and 90 days after. If more than 90 days have passed since your expiration, you must retake the class. If you pass the on-line test, keep a copy of the certificate that you will receive. If your credential is not automatically renewed, then contact me (Mike Barrera) with your certificate (proof of passing the test), and I will work with HQ to get your SO status updated.
How does one renew (are get designated) CSO status?
- CSO Certification
IDPA Headquarters has announced the deployment of a Chief Safety Officer (CSO) certification and recertification exam, which will take effect in January of 2020. You must be CSO "certified" to work at a Tier 3 - Tier 5 match. This process is not used at Tier 1 - Tier 2 matches, in which CSOs which are appointed for a single match at a time.
Recall that on Oct. 28, 2019, a moratorium on new CSO appointments began. New CSO applications can begin being processed again after the test and website changes come online. Standby for an announcement for the date..
Prerequisites to become a CSO are listed in the Match Administration Rules document. CSO candidates must complete an application with the recommendation of an SOI and/or Club Contact. The candidate will then need to be approved by the Area Coordinator or International Point of Contact and subsequently pass the CSO exam. ACs /IPOCs please copy your RACL and Kitty on CSO candidate approvals.
The online recertification test will consist of 30 questions with a score of at least 80% correct required to pass. Two attempts at the test are allowed per calendar year. This is a specially developed test with situational questions that are specific to running T3 or higher tier matches.
This recertification exam will go into effect for new applicants and recertifying CSOs in January of 2020. Note that the CSO expiration date is the SO expiration date and is listed on the IDPA Dashboard in the Roles area. CSO Certification or recertification will update the SO expiration date by two years. CSO candidates and recertifying CSOs should not take the SO recertification test.
IDPA has some inactive CSOs, that are not working matches anymore. In the next few months, ACs /IPOCs will be reviewing the history of matches worked by current CSOs. CSOs found out of compliance will be assigned SO status. Once a member becomes a CSO, they will maintain their status by successfully participating in officiating matches and taking the CSO recertification exam every two years. ACs /IPOCs have the ability to rescind CSO status based on inactivity, infractions or other issues. Please include your RACL and Kitty on CSO status changes.
There is a new process is being implemented for attaining the designation of CSO for sanctioned matches.
- Members meeting the requirements can submit an application to their local MD who may sign off and forward to the AC or IPOC. The AC or IPOC will approve or deny the request.
- A future separate testing for CSOs will be initiated after 2017. Based on beta testing in 2015, this system will work well in identifying appropriate candidates or areas of opportunity for the applicant.
- Submitted updates will take ~5 business days, and maybe a little longer in the next few weeks as the process gets rolling.
CSO requirements and qualifications
- SOs designated as Chief SOs in Tier 3 and above-sanctioned matches must meet the following qualifications: (see MAR M-15.3)
- Have applied for and successfully completed the CSO approval process
- Have been certified as an IDPA SO for a minimum of two years.
- Have previously served as a Certified SO in at least two sanctioned IDPA matches and participated as a competitor in at least one additional sanctioned match, in the previous three years. OR,
- Served as a Certified SO in at least three sanctioned IDPA matches in the previous three years.
CSO Application
Some notes about Universal Semi-Automatic Classification.
- Effective in January of 2020 Universal classifications in semi-auto divisions were removed from all member records and online profiles. For some shooters in some of the semi-auto divisions, a shooter's classifications may have went down. This is a one-time thing. BUG, REV, and PCC classifications are unchanged.
- An effect of removing Universal classifications is this. Any semi-auto class /division (SSP, ESP, CCP, CDP, CO) where a shooter does not have a classifier score or a sanctioned match attendance, within the last 12 months, the shooter will need to shoot a classifier in that division to be eligible to shoot a sanctioned match after the change.