Purpose The purpose of this paper is to adopt the revised and integrated technology acceptance model (TAM) and the successful model of the information system as a framework suitable for discussing factors the affecting the usage intention of e-learning for police education and training. Design/methodology/approach To attain the aforementioned objective, this study employed the questionnaire survey approach for the collection of information from Taiwan’s border police officers. A total of 277 questionnaires were completed and validated. Findings The results showed that the subjective norms, perceived ease of use, and perceived usefulness positively influenced the usage intention of e-learning for police education and training. Second, subjective norms, job relevance, system quality, service quality, and ease of use were found to act positively on the police’s perceived usefulness of e-learning. Lastly, system quality and service quality acted positively on the police’s perceived usefulness of e-learning. Originality/value The present study integrated TAM2 and information systems successful model into the research framework for building e-learning efficacy indicators. The good validation results obtained suggest the theoretical importance of this integrated model. The model and research findings closed the research gap especially in the application of police e-learning.