december 2014

December Monthly Progress Report and Year In Review

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE
By Robert A. Stresak

Happy New Year and best wishes for a prosperous 2015.  May you enjoy prosperity in health, happiness, friendships, and family.

Lest we not forget, 13 of California's bravest were lost in 2014.  Our thoughts and prayers remain with their loved ones, family, friends, and brothers and sisters left behind.  The duty to honor the lives of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice remains our eternal responsibility.

Although fiscal resources have remained a challenge for POST, 2014 was still a year of tremendous successes and progress.  My deepest appreciation goes out to the POST Commissioners and the Advisory Committee members for their direction, support, and insight in guiding the efforts of POST.

Our partnerships with law enforcement organizations remain strong and collaborative.  Working together always yields greater results for the benefit of all.  Single strands, when twisted together, form a stronger rope.  My appreciation goes out to the leadership of the California State Sheriffs’ Association, the California Police Chiefs' Association, the Peace Officers' Research Association of California, the California Peace Officers’ Association, the California Reserve Peace Officers' Association, the California Academy Directors' Association, the Public Safety Dispatcher organizations, and the many other entities that work together with POST.  POST remains committed to ensuring strong partnerships.

Bringing organizations to the table proved beneficial when implementing the progressive steps taken in 2014 by the California Emergency Medical Services Authority (EMSA) to require additional first aid/CPR training for peace officers.  Together, this complex issue has been addressed, and a deeper understanding of the impact of these changes has been fostered.  My thanks to the leadership of EMSA and our law enforcement organizations for their efforts.  POST is moving forward with its stakeholders to advance these training requirements.

Our Strategic Planning process is also progressing and yielding positive results.  Intended to answer the question: Are we current, are we relevant, are we effective, and are we healthy?  Independent strategic plan facilitators made great strides in answering these questions.  Opportunities and challenges have been identified.  Internal workshops attended by a cross-section of POST staff members have yielded open dialogue and honest exchanges facilitated in an environment designed to accomplish exactly that (i.e., an ongoing atmosphere of open dialog and honest exchanges).  Much appreciation is owed to members of the California State University, Sacramento Center for Collaborative Policy.

Under the strong leadership within POST's Computer Services Bureau, POST's technology strategic plan continues to yield a unified, focused effort to enhance our technical capabilities into one consistent approach.  A few examples include automating POST's professional certificates application process.  You may not be aware that POST's Administrative Services Bureau issues approximately 14,000 professional certificates annually.  The online application process has facilitated POST’s ability to more timely address requests from the field.  The POST PASS system is another effort that will allow users to access many online services with only one password required to access the online, password-protected resources available to the field.

Support of POST's Learning Technology Resources Bureau remains an organizational priority to ensure comprehensive, easily accessible, instructionally sound programs that can economically provide training and other resources to approximately 615 law enforcement agencies.  The leadership of staff in this effort is a source of pride.

POST's Basic Training Bureau continues to ensure that our basic training courses remain current and, more significantly, relevant to today's entry-level student and the learning requirements.  Training Program Services Bureau is working diligently to advance the Instructor Development Institute, the Institute of Criminal Investigation, Public Safety Dispatcher training, and many other significant training efforts.  The Management Counseling, Leadership Development Bureau continues to support flagship programs such as the Sherman Block Supervisory Leadership Institute and independent agency assessments provided via our management counseling resources.  Training Delivery and Compliance Bureau always makes herculean efforts to ensure that over 4,000 training courses meet the thresholds of quality, safety, currency, and relevancy.  The Standards, Evaluation and Research Bureau continues to work diligently to ensure testing integrity and currency, current job task analysis, and effective entry-level physical abilities testing, and is nationally recognized in the areas of selection standards.

Another major accomplishment is also nearing completion.  After 30 years in our current location, efforts initiated in 2012 to relocate POST out of a 100+ year-old building will be realized in February 2015.  The new facility will contain the same square footage we now have, but it will yield much more useable floor space than the old building.  Located at 860 Stillwater Road in West Sacramento, the new facility is adjacent to two hotels, offers free parking to POST employees and guests, is close to a large academy facility, and most importantly, will provide useable classroom space for instruction and meetings.  Significant savings will accrue from reduced rent, reduced need for staff to travel, and increased usage of our own space for many meetings POST routinely conducts using rented meeting rooms, technical support, and other accommodations.

These are remarkable accomplishments when squared against our continued shrinking revenue.  Every member of POST staff continues to reflect a high level of commitment to providing our stakeholders with the best possible service and the best possible training programs, all of which impact the safety of our officers and the safety and integrity of our communities.  Each person at POST, no matter their role, is a peace officer and public safety dispatcher trainer.  We remain committed to maximize every dollar and every resource to support the services provided to California law enforcement agencies.  POST will be a beacon for leadership in law enforcement training.

2014 has also spotlighted concerns expressed by our communities regarding mental health, community relations, and the need to evaluate, enhance, or complement training opportunities.  The Commission on POST remains attentive to these issues and looks forward to partnering with the California State Legislature and local communities via our stakeholders.

Peace officers are recruited from the human race to deal with the human race and can't always be the sole solution to complex events involving mental health, violence within our communities, homelessness, and other social realities.  Partnerships, resources, and accountability of failed or weakened infrastructures need to be universally addressed.  Solutions are an equation, not an axiom relegated only to law enforcement.

There are no routine calls.  At any given moment, a peace officer addresses a multitude of variables.  Anger, frustration, depression, schizophrenia, autism, suicidal intent, or a broad spectrum of other mental disorders may be factors.  Medications, substance abuse, and addictions can also influence behavior.  Common culture in the form of language may be non-existent, or there may be other cultural barriers, religious tenets, or norms present.  Other factors may include the physical stature of any officer and the martial arts skills and weapons of those contacted that contribute to the breadth of dangerous possibilities that may be encountered.  Officers must accurately discern who is a victim, who is a witness, who is a suspect, and who is not involved, often without the luxury of time, light of day, or clear weather, and with and without the cooperation of those involved.  The task is not easy.  In a split second, an officer can transition from commendation to condemnation no matter how well intended his or her efforts may be.

I am honored to work with a conscientious Commission and a remarkable staff.  I proudly support each person who rises to the call to serve, and who has successfully passed a battery of tests accomplished by fewer than 10% of the applicants who seek to be a California peace officer.  It is my honor to work for the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training and with those who are committed to excellence in training.

As always, my thoughts and prayers are with each of you who selflessly serve our communities.

DECEMBER 2014 POST MONTHLY REPORT

ORIENTATION FOR POST, ACADEMY INSTRUCTOR CERTIFICATION COURSE, PLAN V PRESENTERS

During December, Training Program Services Bureau conducted an Academy Instructor Certification Course (AICC), POST Plan V-orientation meeting at Golden West College, Criminal Justice Training Center.

The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the nuances of the revised AICC, curriculum design, delivery, and Plan V administrative protocols.  The meeting was attended by the program executive directors/coordinators from the San Diego Regional Training Center, the Golden West College Criminal Justice Training Center, the California State University, Long Beach Center for Criminal Justice, the Riverside Sheriff’s Academy, the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Academy, and POST staff from theTraining Program Services Bureau.

Questions about the Instructor Development Institute, Academy Instructor Certification Course, may be directed to Senior Consultant Charles Evans, Training Program Services Bureau, at (916) 227-3902.

CNOA HOSTS 50TH ANNIVERSARY TRAINING INSTITUTE

The California Narcotics Officers’ Association (CNOA) hosted their 50th Annual Training Institute in November at the Hilton Anaheim Hotel in Anaheim.  This event was attended by over 2,300 law enforcement personnel.  The four-day Institute had 36 workshops ranging from Asset Forfeiture to Use of Force.  Each session was four-hours long. Attendees could choose from different sessions they wanted to attend.  The Institute is POST-certified for 24 hours of CPT.  The Institute opened with Retired CHP Captain and Lexipol founder Gordon Graham as the keynote speaker. Mr. Graham spoke on Risk Management to a full audience in general session.

The Installation banquet was attended by many of the past Presidents of the CNOA, a former POST Commissioner, POST Commissioner Sylvia Moir, and POST Law Enforcement Consultants.

The next Training Institute is scheduled for November 21-24, 2015, in San Francisco.

Questions about the Institute can be directed to Senior Consultant Charles Sandoval, Training Delivery and Compliance Bureau, at (916) 227-4414.

MEET THE NEW POST EMPLOYEES

Senior Consultant Janna Munk
Training Program Services Bureau

POST is pleased to welcome Janna Munk as a Senior Consultant to the Training Program Services Bureau where she will manage LEOKA, Crisis Intervention, and Safe Driving Campaign.

Janna started her law enforcement career in 1992 after graduating from San Jose State University with a degree in Economics.  She was hired by the San Jose Police Department where she spent 23 years.  Janna worked as an officer in patrol, the field training program, the Violent Crimes Enforcement Team, the Gang Unit, community policing substations, and as a tactical observer and pilot in the Air Support Unit.  Janna was promoted to sergeant in 2008.  As a sergeant, she held supervisory assignments in patrol, the Court Liaison Unit, and the Financial Crimes Unit.  After her initial promotion, Janna went back to school to attain a master’s degree in Leadership from Saint Mary’s College.  What she learned in college caused her to become involved in restructuring personnel and work processes for the Court Liaison unit, producing a mentoring program for the police department, and developing a multi-agency Identity Theft Symposium for citizens.  The Identity Theft Symposium was designed to teach citizens how to protect themselves and recover from identity theft and other financial crimes.  Throughout her career, Janna has maintained a passion for teaching.  To fulfill that passion, she taught academy classes for the South Bay Regional Public Safety Consortium and developed a personal leadership class for the City of San Jose Leadership Academies.

Questions about LEOKA, Crisis Intervention, or the Safe Driving Campaign may be directed to Senior Consultant Janna Munk, Training Program Services Bureau, at (916) 227-0473.

Associate Budget Analyst Chuck Young
Administrative Services Bureau

POST is pleased to welcome Chuck Young as an Associate Budget Analyst assigned to the Administrative Services Bureau.  Chuck is responsible for budgets, training, and safety.

Prior to joining POST, Chuck was the budget officer for the Secretary of State for two years and an associate governmental program analyst with the California Department of Food and Agriculture for four years.  Before entering state service, Chuck was controller/accounting manager for small private companies.

Questions about POST’s budgets, training, and safety may be directed to Associate Budget Analyst Chuck Young, Administrative Services Bureau, at (916) 227-4536.

YEAR-IN REVIEW

The following is a synopsis of POST projects and activities for 2014.  The full text of each month’s POST Monthly Reports can be accessed through the POST Website.

January 2014

NEW DID YOU KNOW VIDEO FEATURES COURAGEOUS CONVERSATIONS

It takes courage to confront a partner about bad driving habits.  It’s much easier to just hope for change.  The newly released Did You Know video recognizes the difficulty in speaking out against bad driving and encourages officers of any tenure or rank to understand how confronting others can save lives.

The Did You Knows are 30-60-second video spots that deliver a strong training message in a quick and dynamic way.  This is one of several messages from the Safe Driving Campaign spearheaded by POST.

“Did You Know – Conversations” can be viewed on the POST Website under the Safe Driving Videos or on the Learning Portal under “What’s New”.

BASIC COURSE ONGOING TEST DEVELOPMENT

In collaboration with Basic Training Bureau’s work with subject matter experts (SMEs) to revise the LD 25 and 28 workbooks, Standards, Evaluation, and Research Bureau staff met with both groups to develop new questions and revise usable items.  All items were reviewed and edited by the test panel, entered into TMAS, and used to create new tests.  These tests will be ready for implementation on February 1, 2014.  Related test questions have also been updated in the end-of-course test forms.  Previous versions of these tests will be archived immediately following delivery of the new test forms.

LEARNING TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES ADVISORY COUNCIL (LTRAC) UPDATES

The Learning Technology Resources (LTR) Bureau, which encompasses POST’s Learning Portal and Video programs, enlisted the input of its Advisory Council on various products and policies at its annual meeting in Sacramento.  Some highlights of the meeting included the following:

• Demonstrations of various new LTR products:

1. Investigation Tool – an app for detectives on the investigation process;
2. MediaBytes – an app to provide mobile access to POST’s short videos;
3. IPAT – a tool to help agencies assess their preparedness for major incidents and disasters;
4. “Conversations” – the new Did You Know for POST’s Safe Driving Campaign; and
5. “Dispatcher Stress” - a Did You Know highlighting the need to make sure dispatchers are aware of the resources available to them.

• Updates on the following products:

1. Training Videos –  topics under development include Stress Management, Human Trafficking, Bias-Based Policing, Initial Response to Critical Incidents, and Surviving Deadly Assaults;
2. Case Law Today and Legal Update – reorganization of Case Law Today videos on the Learning Portal along with search and tracking ability; and
3. Dispatch Center – adaptation of this same feature specifically for Training Managers.

• Learning Portal – Learning Portal Administrator, the ability to assign training to users, and the addition of a new media player to accommodate mobile devices.

• Issues to be addressed:

1. Marketing of all LTR products; and
2. Adding two people from a younger demographic to the LTRAC.

PHYSICAL TRAINING AND TESTING PROJECT

In 2008, Strategic Plan Objective A.3 directed POST staff to research and develop a physical abilities assessment test for entry into basic academies.  Initial work on this project uncovered a lack of uniformity in the way that physical abilities were trained in the basic academies.  This issue prevented POST staff from creating a psychometrically sound criterion against which to validate any pre-academy physical abilities assessment.  To correct this issue, POST staff began a multi-year project to revise the POST basic academy physical conditioning program to make it uniform and up-to-date.  The development project was completed in early 2012 and the corresponding instructor training course was completed by the end of 2012.  Basic academies then began implementing the revised physical fitness training program.  With this extensive background work completed, the project to develop a pre-academy physical assessment test can recommence.

The Physical Training (PT) Project has three broad, long-range goals:  (a) to develop a pre-academy fitness assessment test, (b) to review and update the physical tasks job analysis, and (c) to update the Basic Academy Work Sample Test Battery (WSTB).  Standards, Evaluation, and Research (SER) Bureau staff is reaching out to subject matter experts and academy directors/coordinators on the direction of the first phase of this project, developing a pre-academy physical fitness test.  A survey of current academy practices related to pre-academy physical abilities testing is being developed.  SER staff is also attending PT-related instructor training courses.  A project kickoff meeting is planned for late spring.

February 2014

MANAGEMENT COUNSELING BUREAU AND CENTER FOR LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT MERGE

Historically, the functions of the Management Counseling Bureau and the Center for Leadership Development have been separated in two, distinctly different bureaus.  There exists a nexus between the two functions in that many of the management leadership issues the Management Counseling Bureau encounters during the course of its consulting work center around the training of California law enforcement executives, managers, and leaders.

To facilitate communication of the training needs of executives, managers, and leaders, the two bureaus have been combined to form the Management Counseling, Leadership Development Bureau.  This new bureau will be managed by a single Bureau Chief.

REVISED LAW ENFORCEMENT RECORDS MANAGEMENT GUIDE NOW AVAILABLE

The revised POST Law Enforcement Records Management Guide (pdf) is now available on the POST Website.  The publication provides standardized guidelines for the management of the law enforcement records function, detailing best practices for the receipt, storage, and disposition of records maintained by California law enforcement agencies.  As in past updates, members of the California Law Enforcement Association of Records Supervisors (CLEARS) were instrumental in this effort.

Work has begun on a companion document to assist agencies in evaluating how well their records function meets the best practices detailed in the guide.  The POST Law Enforcement Records Function Agency Self-Evaluation will be available soon on the POST Website.

BASIC TRAINING BUREAU TESTS ONLINE REGISTRATION PROCESS

The Basic Training Bureau (BTB) has initiated a new registration process to enroll attendees in its numerous training courses, facilitated meetings, and other functions associated with its scope of service.  In past presentations, POST enrolled participants using formats such as conventional mail, faxed memoranda, and telephone calls.  This required labor-intensive duplicate entries onto different forms, thus increasing the likelihood of errors.

With this new process, POST’s stakeholders attending BTB functions are able to enroll online and receive immediate confirmation.  This new streamlined and cost-saving registration process will provide an accurate roster of attendees and help to alleviate redundancy in staff workload.  Feedback from the field has been overwhelmingly positive.

The Basic Training Bureau looks forward to fine-tuning this endeavor and expanding it to other bureaus to better and more efficiently address the needs of POST stakeholders.

March 2014

CAREER PIPELINE PROJECT FEATURED IN IACP MAGAZINE

The POST Career Pipeline Project was featured in this month’s International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Police Chief Magazine.  The article, entitled "Enhancing Recruitment Efforts Nationwide through K-12 School Partnerships," features a number of national programs from across the United States involving collaborative efforts between law enforcement and local school districts to address recruitment challenges facing the law enforcement profession.

Featured in this article are LAPD’s Police Academy Magnet Programs (PAMS) for grades 6-12 and Police Orientation Preparatory Program (POPP) for college students (grades 13-14), which ultimately earns these students two AA college degrees.  Also featured is the San Bernardino Public Safety Academy which is a charter school in San Bernardino for grades 6-12 that is planning expansion to a K-16 Career Pipeline in the near future.  The final California school program featured is the Fairfield-Suisun Public Safety Academy, an “alternative school of choice” (public school) for grades 5-12 that recently achieved a very high Academic Performance Index (API) score of 940.  All of these programs are excellent models and are further discussed in POST’s newly-released DVD entitled Building a Public Safety Career Pipeline – UPDATE 2014.

April 2014

NEW DID YOU KNOW VIDEO DISCUSSES SCHOOL VIOLENCE

It has become all too common to see school violence reported in the news.  These tragedies are senseless and leave law enforcement and the school communities grappling with how they could have happened, and if they could have been prevented.

There are no guarantees; however, the newly-released Did You Know video shows some of those signs that could potentially present an opportunity for intervention before a student becomes violent.  All law enforcement officers who interact with students on or off campus should view this video.

Did You Know – “School Violence” can be viewed on the POST Website and on the Learning Portal under “Hotsheets.”

ACADEMY INSTRUCTOR CERTIFICATION COURSE UNDER REVIEW

The Academy Instructor Certification Course (AICC) level 1 and Instructor Development Institute (IDI) instructors met this month in San Jose.  The focus of this meeting was to develop a train-the-trainer course for AICC instructors statewide.  The group came to a consensus on the length and format of the class which will be presented in August.  This class will offer the best practices and methods of the POST course with the goal of sharing these methods statewide and creating more uniformity in the process.

The Instructor Standards Advisory Council (ISAC) met in San Diego and reviewed the plans for regionalization of the AICC level 1, IDI courses, and the stakeholders involved in this process.  The Council stressed the need for quality assessment of the course as it transitions from one team and one presenter to multiple presenters with multiple teams of instructors.

Learning Technology Resources also provided an overview discussion of presenting new and updated courses for instructors on the Learning Portal.

STRATEGIC PLAN UPDATE PROJECT

POST is working with Cal State Sacramento’s Center for Collaborative Policy (CCP) in an effort to update the POST Strategic Plan.  The goal of the project is to develop a 3-5-year plan with a 12-18-month initial work plan to address any recommended organizational changes to POST’s structure and mission, identify any gaps between legislative intent and current POST operations, and better align POST services with the needs of the field.

Both internal and external stakeholders will be interviewed for this project.  POST executive team members and bureau chiefs have been interviewed.  Line-level staff interviews commenced in April, along with phone interviews with external stakeholders.

Work on the legislative research component continued throughout April with input from the POST Design Team.

Objectives for May include:

• Completion of stakeholder interviews
• Completion of legislative research component of the plan
• Analysis of interview data and draft of assessment report
• Preparation of summary findings report from CCP

RESPIRATORY AND CARDIOVASCULAR SCREENING GUIDELINES UPDATED IN THE MEDICAL SCREENING MANUAL

The POST Medical Screening Manual for California Law Enforcement provides examination and evaluation protocols to assist agencies and screening physicians in the conduct of these evaluations in accordance with CA Govt. Code 1031(f) and Commission Regulation 1954.  The manual is organized into separate body systems to allow for updates as necessitated by medical advances and legal developments.  Since its initial issuance in 1993, a number of chapters have been updated, some more than once.

For the first time since its initial issuance, the Respiratory and Cardiovascular chapters have been revised and will be available on the POST Website in early May.  In addition to incorporating the advances in medical science, the new chapters now include guidance on additional conditions, such as sleep apnea and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Work continues on updating the manual, with revisions to the Musculoskeletal, Vision, and Hematology chapters due later this year.

May 2014

COLLEGE CREDIT AVAILABLE TO SHERMAN BLOCK SUPERVISORY LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE (SBSLI) GRADUATES

Effective May 2014, college credit is available to SBSLI graduates through CSU Long Beach’s College of Continuing and Professional Education.  To obtain the credit, students must submit their written assignments, including a completed copy of their Adaptive Leadership Project.  These documents will be reviewed and graded electronically by two instructors from the CSU Long Beach School of Criminology, Criminal Justice, and Emergency Management on a credit/no credit basis for a total of nine upper division undergraduate units.

BASIC TRAINING BUREAU AND COMPUTER SERVICES BUREAU TEST PAPERLESS FORMAT WORKSHOPS

The Basic Training Bureau is experimenting with a new “paperless” workshop format.  Historically, most POST workshops have involved the preparation of a comprehensive folder or binder with a wealth of printed material.  This material was used as a reference during the presentation of the course and to guide students as they learned from the instructor.

In many respects, this format worked well; however, it resulted in an extensive amount of expensive printing and shipping costs.  Furthermore, printed material can become outdated very quickly, and the conventional instructional format often lacked the interactive component that could assist the learner in comprehending the curriculum.  In order to increase the level of learning by the students in workshops and reduce costs, the Basic Training Bureau and Computer Services Bureau have initiated a process to test a paperless format.

In the paperless workshop, the students are provided access to the training materials several weeks prior to the course and they may make copies of the documents if they so desire.  During the actual course presentation, the students do not receive conventional lecture or overuse of audio-visual programs; rather, they participate with the instructors using their own laptops to work through the curriculum and utilize real-time resources.  This process is very interactive and consistent with adult learning principles associated with better and more effective learning, as well as a higher level of retention.  Initial feedback from the field has been very positive.

The Basic Training Bureau plans to incorporate the paperless format into additional training courses offered by the Bureau in order to enhance the quality of instruction to its statewide stakeholders, and to reduce printing and shipping costs.

June 2014

POST WEBSITE REDESIGNED TO BETTER SUPPORT MOBILE DEVICES

Mobile devices such as smartphones, iPads, and Android tablets now account for 31% of all POST Website activity.  To better serve the needs of users with these devices, POST has redesigned and released an improved POST Website.  Specific improvements include:

• Better layout and presentation of information on small screens.
• Availability of every Website page (500+ pages) on all mobile devices.
• Consolidation of page content, allowing desktop and mobile sites to share the same URLs and links.
• Improved menu layout, designed specifically for mobile users.

CRITICAL INCIDENT COMMAND WORKSHOP HELD

The Critical Incident Steering committee held a workshop in Folsom, California during June 2014, to continue the design and development of a proposed “Edge of Chaos” training course.  The intended purpose of the training will be to improve the Incident Commander’s skills and ability to function within the “golden hour” or chaotic stage of an incident in which the crisis is still fluid.

The committee is comprised of highly experienced mid- and executive-level peace officers from California, Maryland, and Washington; a doctoral representative from the Naval Postgraduate School; and an instructional systems design expert from Monterey, California.  The committee finalized a course outline, learning objectives, and blended learning activities for major theme areas of recognition-primed decision-making, situational awareness, operational Incident Command System, sense-making, and tactical decision-making under pressure.  Presentation strategies were developed in anticipation of an inaugural course delivery in the fall of 2014.

POST RELEASES VIDEO TO MEET NEW HUMAN TRAFFICKING TRAINING MANDATE

In response to the amendment of Penal Code 13519.14, POST has developed and distributed to all POST agencies the new training video, Human Trafficking: Identify and Respond.  The amendment requires every law enforcement officer who is assigned field or investigative duties to complete a minimum of two hours of training pertaining to the handling of human trafficking complaints by July 1, 2014.

This DVD training is produced in the new format that includes easy-to-follow steps for facilitation and extensive instructor support material.  The video is segmented to allow for the training to occur at briefings over a period of time or as a stand-alone course.  When the training is completed, the agencies submit the student roster in the Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) for two hours of Continuing Professional Training (CPT) credit.  There is also a procedure that will allow CPT credit for individual viewing.  Please refer to POST Bulletin 2012-09 (pdf) for further information.

To order additional copies of Human Trafficking: Identify and Respond, or any other POST training videos, go to the Training Videos webpage on the POST Website.

July 2014

POST STRATEGIC PLAN PROCESS MOVES FORWARD

The mission of POST is to continually enhance the professionalism of California law enforcement in serving its communities.  In February 2014, to fulfill our mission, POST embarked on updating its Strategic Plan.  The purpose of the update is to plan for the future of POST and ensure that our services and programs continue to be relevant, current, and effective.  Goals and objectives will be identified to guide POST over the next 3 – 5 years.  An initial 18-month Action Plan will be developed for the implementation of the Strategic Plan.

The California State University, Sacramento’s Center for Collaborative Policy (CCP) is assisting with an assessment of current issues, needs, challenges, and barriers experienced by key stakeholders.  The information gained from interviews, surveys, and validation meetings will be used in the development of POST’s Strategic Plan.

Throughout the months of May and June, almost every employee at POST and 36 representatives of POST stakeholders were interviewed by CCP staff.  The purpose of the interviews was to:

• Understand POST’s current operations from the staff and client perspectives
• Identify programs and operations that POST is doing well and those that are not regarded as effective
• Identify what priorities best serve the field
• Identify opportunities for POST to better serve the field

The results of the interviews were compiled into the Strategic Plan Assessment Summary document.  This summary will guide efforts to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the organization and provide direction to meet the current and future needs of staff and clients.

The next steps will include validation surveys, workshops, and finally the development of the strategic plan goals and objectives.

Progress regarding the effort to develop the strategic plan will continue to be reported to the Commissioners and Advisory Committee Members each month.

POLICE CHIEF-CITY MANAGER WORKSHOP PILOT HELD

The Police Chief-City Manager Workshop provides a unique opportunity for police chiefs and city managers to come together in a workshop setting to examine the city’s police services while forging an effective working relationship.

Richard Word, recently retired Chief of the Vacaville Police Department, and Laura Kuhn, current Vacaville City Manager, facilitated the first pilot presentation of the revised course curriculum in Sacramento on July 30-August 1, 2014.  The course was attended by ten police chief/city manager teams from across the state.

Student feedback was overwhelmingly positive.  Students commented the course was valuable and very much worth their time to attend.  The topics addressed were relevant to current issues and prompted extensive discussion and enthusiastic participation.  A second pilot presentation will be held in Sacramento on October 1-3, 2014.

August 2014

POST AND EMSA COLLABORATE ON FIRST AID/CPR CURRICULUM

Today’s law enforcement officers encounter an ever-increasing number of challenges as they serve their communities.  With that responsibility comes a constantly evolving need for contemporary training in order to keep up with the demands of the profession.

With the increasing knowledge of emergency medical care, particularly the battlefield experience our nation’s military has experienced in recent deployments and strides in technology, today’s first responders have the opportunity to better serve injured or ill persons they encounter during their assignments utilizing new skills and equipment.  To address these needs, the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) and the California Emergency Medical Services Authority (EMSA), which establishes First Aid/CPR training standards for public safety personnel, has collaborated to update the content of First Aid/CPR training requirements for public safety personnel.

The Basic Training Bureau facilitated informational meetings with statewide stakeholders, including personnel from a variety of public safety disciplines, EMSA, and major law enforcement professional associations.  The meetings were held to promote understanding of revisions to First Aid/CPR regulations and the best course of action to address the needs of today’s law enforcement officers.  This unified commitment to developing the regulations, including the application of a competency-based standard to assess student learning, was the outcome of the collaborative effort by law enforcement and EMSA.

POST is grateful for the leadership and responsiveness of EMSA.  POST is committed to working with EMSA and law enforcement stakeholders to complete the task of updating basic, in-service, and instructor First Aid/CPR training.  This effort is based on a genuine interest in providing the best possible service to communities served by public safety personnel.

OVER 75,000 REGISTERED USERS OF POST LEARNING PORTAL

POST has reached over 75,000 registered users of the Learning Portal.  This includes sworn, dispatch, and a growing number of Non-Peace Officers via the Learning Portal Administrator Request (2-339) (pdf).

Over 170,000 course completions have been recorded representing nearly 649,000 hours of Continuing Professional Training (CPT) credit automatically recorded on the student’s POST training profile.

Users can currently access 16 self-paced training courses, several performance support tools, and hundreds of different resources, including Case Law Today, Homeland Security Training videos, audio files, presentation files, and various high-profile reports.  All online courses have CPT credit associated with them.  Many of the online courses help agencies meet training mandates.  Details are found in the “POST Resources that Meet Mandates” document on the Portal.

New to the Portal is a dedicated Dispatch Center, where dispatchers explore, discuss, and share all things dispatch-related.  Coming soon is a similar area for training managers.

POST IS DEVELOPING A TRAINING VIDEO ON AB 109 REALIGNMENT

The first of several meetings to create a POST video on the subject of AB 109, Realignment, was held this month in San Diego.  POST and Digital OutPost personnel facilitated a group of subject matter experts on the outline of what is expected to be a very informative project to help educate line-level, as well as command and executive law enforcement personnel, to the complexities of realignment and successful strategies utilized by various agencies.

September 2014

POST RELEASES HUMAN TRAFFICKING UPDATE AND BIAS BASED POLICING TRAINING VIDEOS

The summer of 2014 marked the release of two much-anticipated DVD videos designed to fulfill mandated training updates for human trafficking and racial profiling.

In June, POST distributed “Human Trafficking: Identify & Respond” DVD (program #258) in fulfillment of the new mandates of Proposition 35, known as the Californians Against Sexual Exploitation (CASE) Act.  Proposition 35 made several critical enhancements to California law to combat trafficking and exploitation and mandates human trafficking training for law enforcement.  The new video fulfills the requirements of revised PC §13519.14 and Proposition 35.  The goal of the training is to help peace officers recognize the indicators of human trafficking and know what actions to take.

In September, the “Bias Based Policing: Remaining Fair and Impartial” DVD (program #260) was released as refresher training for racial profiling.  The video is designed to help officers recognize bias based policing and to understand that officers must remain fair and impartial in their discretion and decisions.  The program features scenario-based segments that provide a review of how an officer's personal bias may affect their day-to-day work in law enforcement.  When facilitated by a certified racial profiling instructor, the program meets the mandate for the two-hour Racial Profiling update training and fulfills the requirements of PC §13519.14(g) and POST Regulation 1081(a).

Both videos offer two viewing modes and printable documents for either group-facilitated or individual instruction.

The DVD videos were automatically mass-mailed statewide in June and September to training managers or training departments at law enforcement agencies in the POST Program.  Additional DVD copies may be ordered online, free of charge, using the POST Video Catalog.  The videos are available on DVD format only.

POST RECEIVES TOP HONOR FROM THE SOCIETY OF POLICE AND CRIMINAL PSYCHOLOGY

POST Senior Research Specialist Dr. Shelley Spilberg and Dr. David M. Corey received the prestigious Chris Hatcher Award at the annual conference of the Society of Police and Criminal Psychology held in Las Vegas on September 25-27.  The Hatcher Award is bestowed upon the conference presentation that best demonstrates professional vision and makes the most valuable contribution to police psychology.  Drs. Spilberg and Corey’s presentation entitled “The Conduct of Peace Officer Psychological Screening Evaluations: Updates from the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training,” focused on the new POST Peace Officer Psychological Screening Manual, which was coauthored by the presenters and is slated for issuance in mid-October.

The Psychological Screening Manual was also previewed by Dr. Spilberg and Dr. Susan Saxe-Clifford during a presentation on September 22 which was hosted by the City of Newport Beach.  The presentation, entitled “Updates on Psychological Screening Evaluations of Public Safety Candidates: New POST Screening Guidelines and Advice on Establishing Realistic Hiring Standards and Practical Applications,” was attended by approximately 40 chiefs, commanders, and other high–level public safety representatives from across the Orange County area.  During her presentation, Dr. Spilberg emphasized the relevance and usefulness of the new manual for hiring authorities and others involved in the peace officer selection process, in addition to screening psychologists.

TRAINING MANAGER NETWORK DEBUTS

A new resource for training managers made its debut at the statewide Training Manager Workshop on September 24, 2014, in San Diego.  The Training Manager Network (TMN) is a new area on the Learning Portal which gives training managers an online community to share information and resources with each other to better serve their agencies.  It is currently in a pilot phase and POST is seeking input from training managers, new and experienced.

Ten training managers from around the State helped POST develop this resource so that training managers can:

• Discuss a variety of training topics with their peers
• Share files such as sample lesson plans, policies, or presentations
• Discover answers to frequently asked questions
• Find a helpful “must do” list for new training managers
• Locate training manager meetings by region

To help promote the TMN, this commercial video features a light-hearted take on its benefits.

October 2014

POST WINS AWARD FOR THE INVESTIGATION TOOL APP

In October, the POST “Investigation Tool” mobile app received the 2014 Mobile Government Forum Award for Best User Experience.

The app helps investigators build a mental picture of the investigation process and provides a helpful checklist of investigation tasks.  POST's Learning Technology Resources Bureau developed the tool with the help of expert investigators, and Institute of Criminal Investigation (ICI) presenters and instructors.  MediaBytes, the POST app to easily view short-form POST videos on a mobile device, was also nominated by the Forum judges for recognition.  Both apps are available in the Apple App Store and in Google Play; additional information can be found on the POST Learning Portal.

The Mobile Government Forum is an annual, collaborative event involving private industry and California government designed to highlight how government can improve its service delivery models and makes the programs that serve constituents more effective.  This year's event had more than 400 attendees.

POST HOSTS 2014 STATEWIDE TRAINING MANAGER’S WORKSHOP

In September 2014, POST, in close collaboration with the Southern California Training Managers Group, consisting of experienced training managers from law enforcement agencies in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Diego counties, hosted the 2014 Training Manager’s Workshop in San Diego.

Over 300 new and experienced training managers who manage law enforcement training programs throughout California met and received current information and hands-on training in many subjects.  To maximize the effectiveness of the attendees’ experience at the workshop, the attendees were divided into two groups – new and experienced – based on how they self-identified when they registered.  The presenters of the individual sessions then tailored the information they delivered based on the experience level of the attendees at each session.

Subjects presented included course certification, POST Electronic Data Interchange system, legislative mandates and POST regulations, conducting training needs assessments and developing training plans, State Controller’s audits, instructor development, and many others.

In addition, attendees also heard presentations by Randy Barnes on “Creating a High Performing Training Unit,” Dale Stockton on “Below 100,” and Attorney Missy O’Linn on “Reducing Liability.”

FIRST MEETING TO ADDRESS CHANGES IN EMSA REGULATIONS RELATED TO FIRST AID TRAINING OF PUBLIC SAFETY PERSONNEL

During October, POST and the California Emergency Medical Standards Authority (EMSA) held the first meeting with subject matter expert (SME) stakeholders from throughout the State to discuss changes to California Code of Regulations, Division 9, Title 22, Chapter 1.5, First Aid Standards for Public Safety Personnel.

The current regulations had not been updated since 2000 and were revised by EMSA to bring peace officer skills in line with current emergency responder first aid techniques. This preliminary meeting was a collaborative endeavor between EMSA and POST, and was held to compare existing Training and Testing Specifications (TTS) and the learning domain workbook content for the Regular Basic Course (RBC), as well as specifications for in-service training needs, with the proposed regulatory content and new required skills.

The key points addressed during the meeting included identifying gaps in existing training, assessing required competencies related to the new required skills, and establishing criteria for determining course content.  The curriculum for basic and in-service first aid/CPR will need to be developed, along with requisite instructor qualifications for the RBC, in-service training, and a course for current officers to address the “gap” related to both new and optional skills.

New course content and competencies to be developed include, but are not limited to, use of automated external defibrillator (AED), incorporation of tactical first aid concepts, use of hemostatic dressings, and assisted naloxone and epinephrine administration.  There are also five “optional skills” identified in the regulations: naloxone administration, epinephrine administration, oxygen delivery, use of auto-injectors containing atropine and pralidoxime chloride for nerve agent exposure, and oropharyngeal airways (OPAs) and nasopharyngeal nasal airways (NPAs).

The skills portion of training will be competency-based, and POST, EMSA, and other appropriate SMEs will develop course content and testing requirements.

A considerable amount of work was completed during the workshop including the gap analysis in the basic courses TTS and in the student workbook for LD 34.  Additionally, numerous subjects to be addressed as part of the overall strategy to comprehensively implement the changes in regulation were identified and will be the basis for future meetings.  The next workshop is scheduled in February 2015.

November 2014

ONLINE EXAM NOW AVAILABLE

In conjunction with the issuance of the POST Peace Officer Psychological Screening Manual, POST now offers an online exam that covers the guidance provided in the Manual on all phases and aspects of the psychological evaluation process, from the selection and training of screening psychologists, to procedures for reaching a suitability determination and beyond.  Successful completion of the 50-item exam provides screening psychologists with eight hours of continuing education recognized by the California Board of Psychology, and eight hours of POST continuing professional education (CPE) hours required per Commission Regulation 1955(b)(2). To be POST-compliant, all peace officer screening psychologists must have completed six hours of POST-approved CPE by August 30, 2014.  Additional required CPE hours are based on each psychologist’s license renewal cycle.

The Manual is available for download on the POST Website.  Given its size and complexity, colored copies of the Manual can also be ordered through the FedEx DocStore.  More information about the online exam can be found on the POST Website.  Information on the CPE requirement, along with a list of POST-approved CPE courses and a list of screening psychologists and their respective CPE hours, is available by viewing the CPE Tracking System.
 

 The POST Monthly Report is a monthly status report that informs POST Commissioners and the California law enforcement community of recent progress on POST projects and instructional programs under development, and other information of importance to our mission to continually enhance the professionalism of California law enforcement.

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