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POST Monthly Report

July 2022

Keeping you up to date on POST projects

Officer Wellness “Did You Know?” Video Released

In continued support of the Organizational Wellness and Resiliency Collaborative (see Bulletin 2020-30 (pdf)), Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) has released a new Did You Know? video dedicated to the topic of officer wellness. This impactful video promotes physical, mental, and emotional fitness while also motivating law enforcement officers to overcome the challenges and burdens they face daily. The video concludes with reminders for officers to “choose well, live well, and be well.” The Did You Know? video series features short vignettes that inform and remind officers to always be vigilant in the delivery of exceptional police services while ensuring safety for themselves, their peers, and the citizens they serve. These dynamic and engaging videos are perfect for roll call, as well as other briefing or training settings, and are available to view or download at the POST Learning Portal. Additional organizational wellness and resiliency resources are featured on the POST Wellness Website.

For questions about the new Did You Know? Officer Wellness video, contact Mike Barnes, Senior Law Enforcement Consultant in the Learning Technology Resources Bureau, at (916) 227-3454.

Basic Course Waiver Yearly Statistics

A Basic Course Waiver provides an exemption from the Regular Basic Course (RBC) or Specialized Investigator Basic Course (SIBC) training requirements for individuals with qualifying out-of-state or federal law enforcement experience.

In the past, POST received an average of 150-200 applications per year. Over the past four years, we have seen a decline in applications. In fiscal year 2021/2022, we received 94 applications. A total of 67 waivers were issued, 63 were RBC waivers and four were SIBC waivers.

For questions regarding the Basic Course Waiver program, contact Julie Gorwood, Law Enforcement Consultant in the Basic Training Bureau, at (916) 227-3915.

New Report Writing Practice Videos Released

Through partnering with report-writing instructors from across the state, POST has developed a new collection of videos to assist trainers with developing the report writing skills of both basic and in-service officers.

The collection includes videos that portray common law enforcement incidents ranging from simple to complex and are open-ended, which provides instructors the ability to develop different conclusions and report narratives based on trainee needs as well as abilities. A Facilitator’s Guide accompanies the video collection. The videos are intended for training purposes only. All videos are available to view on the POST Learning Portal.

Questions about the new Report Writing Practice Video collection may be directed to Jennifer Hardesty, POST Basic Training Bureau, at (916) 227-3917.

Training Coordinator Course Presented in Salinas, CA

On July 27-28, 2022, POST presented a 16-hour course that was hosted by the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office.

The course teaches students the training coordinator role, POST Website and resources, POST training and background compliance, legal issues associated with training, mandatory, and legislative mandates, Electronic Data Interchange, and processes for course certification.

Additionally, POST Learning Portal staff presented training on self-paced courses, how to assign training, updates, and upcoming future releases.

If you are interested in hosting this course in the future, or if you would like further information regarding the Training Coordinator Course, please contact your Regional Consultant.

The Instructor Standards Advisory Council Has Second Meeting This Year

On July 12, 2022, the Instructor Standards Advisory Council met for the second time this year via video conference. The council is an advisory group that makes recommendations on how to maintain a high level of instruction throughout the state.

The council began with updates from POST, including the latest bulletins, the progress with Senate Bill (SB) 2, and the status of the upcoming POST Portal Instructor Courses. Gerald Fernandez, Law Enforcement Consultant, who is the program manager for the Institute of Criminal Investigation, provided an overview of the program while focusing on the training the instructors receive.

The council spent the rest of the meeting discussing the Academy Instructor Certification Program, including the POST regulation that requires academy instructors to have lesson plans for their courses on file and what material the Academy Instructor Certification Course (AICC) student receives regarding lesson plans. The AICC Expanded Course Outline was provided to the members of the council for their review. Several of the members were invited to audit an AICC course to experience what is currently being presented. The next meeting is scheduled for November.

Peace Officer Certification SB 2 Training Course - NEW DATES AND LOCATIONS

New dates and locations have been added to the Peace Officer Certification Training series. Additional dates and times are being added on an ongoing basis. Registration for all new dates and locations can now be found on the POST Website.

POST is pleased to present a series of training courses focused on providing participants with the necessary and relevant information to comply with the legislative requirements pursuant to SB 2. The training will be presented in two separate four-hour sessions. You must register for each session individually.

Session A - Selection Standards and Certification (#28011)

8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

An overview of SB 2 and in-depth facilitation regarding requirements for background and hiring, peace officer appointments, proof of eligibility, basic certificates, and employee separation.

Session B - Reporting Requirements and Decertification Investigation/Process (#28012) 

1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

An overview of SB 2 and in-depth facilitation regarding requirements for notification of alleged peace officer serious misconduct, investigations, suspensions, and decertifications.

The courses are limited to agency heads, agency background investigators, hiring managers, individuals responsible for entering appointments and separations, and internal affairs investigators or other individuals responsible for making notification of serious misconduct to POST.

Courses are eligible for reimbursement under POST Plan I and offer four Continuing Professional Training credit hours for each session completed. Courses may be completed together or as a standalone based on agency needs.

Important Information:

If you have previously registered via the POST Events Management system and received a confirmation email, there is nothing else you need to do.

If you previously tried to register via the POST Events Management system and were advised that all courses were full, please register for new courses via the new registration system at the POST Website.

Meet the New POST Employees

Jozhua Gonzales

Jozhua Gonzales

Information Technology Specialist I
Learning Technology Resources Bureau

Jozh is a recent Computer Science graduate from Sacramento State University. While he was in school, he worked at POST in the Learning Technology Resources Bureau for over two years as a Student Assistant. Jozh is now returning to Learning Technology Resources, as an Information Technology Specialist I.

Gary Clark

Gary Clark

Law Enforcement Consultant I
Initial Rotation in Training Delivery and Compliance Bureau

Before coming to POST, Gary was with the BART Police Department for eight years (two years in the patrol division, and the last six years in the Personnel and Training Division). Prior to BART, Gary worked for the Contra Costa Office of the Sheriff for 29 years in numerous positions in Patrol and Detention Divisions. He retired as a Sergeant and is now completing his Law Enforcement Consultant Bureau rotations.

Kevin Sherburne

Kevin Sherburne

Law Enforcement Consultant I
Initial Rotation in Standards and Accountability Division

Kevin is a retired FBI agent. Most recently, he worked at the University of California Office of the President where he conducted whistleblower investigations. Kevin is working in the Professional Conduct II Bureau as a Law Enforcement Consultant I.

Sarah Wilhelm

Sarah Wilhelm

Staff Services Analyst
Basic Training Bureau

Sarah comes to us from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), California Medical Facility where she served the Warden as the Use of Force and COMPSTAT analyst. Prior to CDCR, Sarah worked for a chiropractic office as one of the Billing & Insurance Managers. In addition to her vocation, Sarah is a professional dancer specializing in ballet and modern dance. Sarah is assigned to the Basic Training Bureau as a Staff Services Analyst.

Darryl Elliott

Darryl Elliott

Law Enforcement Consultant I
Initial Rotation in Standards and Accountability Division

Darryl comes to us from the Federal Bureau of Investigation where he served as a Special Agent and Supervisory Special Agent. During his tenure, Darryl investigated a variety of federal violations and held numerous leadership roles. Darryl is assigned as a Law Enforcement Consultant I with the Professional Conduct I Bureau.

Mario Moreno

Mario Moreno

Law Enforcement Consultant I
Initial Rotation in Training Program Services Bureau

Mario comes to us from the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office where he served nearly 27 years. Before his retirement, he served as a patrol operations watch commander. Mario is a Law Enforcement Consultant I and is currently completing his LEC Bureau rotations.

Legislative Update

Status of Current Legislation

The following is a list of the legislation POST is monitoring during the 2021-22 legislative session. This is not a complete list of legislation that could affect law enforcement. (Updated 7/13/2022)

Table containing status of current legislation
Bill # and Author Title and Summary Status of Bill

AB 655

Assembly Member Kalra

 California Law Enforcement Accountability Reform Act

Current law requires that a candidate for a peace officer position be of good moral character, as determined by a thorough background investigation. This bill would require that background investigation to include an inquiry into whether a candidate for specified peace officer positions has engaged in membership in a hate group, participation in any hate group activity, or advocacy of public expressions of hate, as specified, and as those terms are defined. The bill would provide that certain findings would disqualify a person from employment.

Amended: 1/24/2022

Status: 6/22/2022-From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 4. Noes 0.) (June 21). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

AB 1639

Assembly Member Voepel

Firearms

Would require a police officer of the San Diego Unified Port District Harbor Police or a port warden or a port police officer of the Harbor Department of the City of Los Angeles to complete the live-fire training qualification at least twice a year instead of at least once every 6 months in order to be exempt from the prohibitions on unsafe handguns.

Amended: 2/22/2022

Status: 5/6/2022-Failed Deadline pursuant to Rule 61(b)(6). (Last location was A. PUB. S. on 1/20/2022)

AB 1836

Assembly Member Maienschein

Peace officers: mental health

Would, upon appropriation of funds, establish the Officer Wellness and Mental Health Grant Program within the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training for the purpose of improving officer wellness and expanding mental health resources and suicide prevention. The bill would require the commission to award grants to eligible local law enforcement agencies and local peace officer associations. The bill would require program funds to be used for one or more specified purposes, including the establishment of officer wellness and peer support units and the hiring and retention of licensed mental health professionals.

Introduced: 4/28/2022

Status:  6/22/2022-From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 4. Noes 0.) (June 21). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

AB 1947

Assembly Member Ting

Hate crimes: law enforcement policies

Current law requires any local law enforcement agency that adopts or updates a hate crime policy to include specified information in that policy, including information on bias motivation. Current law requires the Department of Justice to collect specified information relative to hate crimes and to post that information on its internet website. This bill would require each local law enforcement agency to adopt a hate crimes policy. The bill would require those policies to, among other things, include instructions on considering the relevance of specific dates and phrases when recognizing whether an incident is a hate crime, to include a supplemental suspected hate crime form. The bill would require every state and local agency to use specified definitions for the term “protected characteristics.” The bill would require each law enforcement agency to report their hate crime policy to the Department of Justice, as specified. The bill would require the department to post information regarding the compliance and noncompliance of agencies that are required to provide information relative to hate crimes to the department.

Amended: 5/19/2022

Status: 6/22/2022-From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 4. Noes 0.) (June 21). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

AB 2062

Assembly Member Salas

Local law enforcement hiring grants

Would, upon appropriation of funds for this purpose in the annual Budget Act and until January 1, 2029, require the Board of State and Community Corrections to establish a grant program to provide $50,000,000 in grants to local law enforcement agencies to incentivize peace officers to work in local law enforcement agencies that are in underserved communities and to live in the communities that they are serving. The bill would require grant funds to be used to provide a 5-year supplement to peace officer salaries in local law enforcement agencies that are in underserved communities that have had a homicide rate higher than the state average for the past 5 years or more and where the peace officer lives within 5 miles of the office in which they work. The bill would require local law enforcement agencies that receive grants to report specified information to the board annually and would require the board to report to the Legislature and the Governor’s office on the efficacy of the program, as prescribed, on or before July 1, 2028.

Introduced: 2/14/2022

Status: 5/20/2022-Failed Deadline pursuant to Rule 61(b)(8). (Last location was A. APPR. SUSPENSE FILE on 4/27/2022)

AB 2229

Assembly Member Rivas

Peace officers: minimum standards: bias evaluation

Current law requires peace officers in this state to meet specified minimum standards, including, among other requirements, that peace officers be evaluated by a physician and surgeon or psychologist and found to be free from any physical, emotional, or mental condition that might adversely affect the exercise of the powers of a peace officer. This bill would require that evaluation to include bias against race or ethnicity, gender, nationality, religion, disability, or sexual orientation.

Introduced: 2/15/2022

Status: 6/2/2022-Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

AB 2429

Assembly Member Quirk

Commission on Peace Officers Standards and Training: assessment of training requirements. 

The Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training is required to adopt rules establishing minimum standards relating to physical, mental, and moral fitness governing the recruitment of specified peace officers. This bill would require the commission to perform specified duties, including, among other things, partnering with academic researchers to conduct an assessment of existing officer training requirements and determining how well the existing officer training requirements are working for officers in the field. The bill would require the commission to report its findings to the Legislature by January 1, 2025.

Introduced: 4/6//2022

Status: 6/22/2022-From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (June 21). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

AB 2537

Assembly Member Gipson

Vehicles: driver education.

Would require the Department of Justice, in conjunction with the Department of Motor Vehicles and the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training, to develop and create a video demonstrating the proper conduct by a peace officer and an individual during a traffic stop and to post the video on its internet website.

Amended: 4/7/2022

Status: 6/29/2022-From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 5. Noes 0.) (June 28). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

AB 2547

Assembly Member Nazarian

 Peace officers: determination of bias

Current law requires each law enforcement agency to be responsible for completing investigations of allegations of serious misconduct of a peace officer. This bill would require the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) to establish a definition of “biased conduct,” as specified, and would require law enforcement agencies to use that definition in any investigation into a bias-related complaint or an incident that involves possible indications of officer bias. The bill would also require POST to develop guidance for local law enforcement departments on performing effective Internet and social media screenings of officer applicants.

Amended: 6/16/2022

Status: 6/29/2022-From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 5. Noes 0.) (June 28). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

AB 2557

Assembly Member Bonta

Peace officers: records

Would make records and information obtained from records maintained by an agency or body established by a city, county, city and county, local government entity, state agency, or state department for the purpose of civilian oversight of peace officers subject to disclosure pursuant to the California Public Records Act. The bill would require those records to be redacted only as specified. By increasing duties on local entities, this bill would create a state-mandated local program.

Introduced: 2/17/2022

Status: 4/29/2022-Failed Deadline pursuant to Rule 61(b)(5).

AB 2583

Assembly Member Mullin

Peace officers: training

Current law requires specified categories of law enforcement officers to meet training standards pursuant to courses of training certified by the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training. Current law requires POST to require field training officers who are instructors for the field training program to have at least 8 hours of crisis intervention behavioral health training to better train new peace officers on how to effectively interact with persons with mental illness or intellectual disability. This bill would require the commission to revise that training to include instruction on how to effectively interact with persons with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.

Introduced: 4/18/2022

Status: 5/20/2022-Failed Deadline pursuant to Rule 61(b)(8).

AB 2831

Assembly Member Jones-Sawyer

Sheriffs

Current law sets forth the duties of a sheriff and requires a sheriff to command the aid of as many inhabitants of the sheriff’s county as they think necessary in the execution of their duties. This bill would make nonsubstantive changes to that provision.

Introduced: 2/18/2022

Status: 5/6/2022-Failed Deadline pursuant to Rule 61(b)(6)

SB 882

Senator Eggman

Advisory Council on Improving Interactions between People with Intellectual and Development Disabilities and Law Enforcement. 

Would create the Advisory Council on Improving Interactions between People with Intellectual and Development Disabilities and Law Enforcement, under the Department of Justice, to, among other things, evaluate existing training for peace officers specific to interactions between law enforcement and individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The bill would require the council to be composed of 9 members, appointed by the Governor, Senate Committee on Rules, and Speaker of the Assembly, including an individual with an intellectual or developmental disability and a representative from a law enforcement organization. The bill would require the council to meet quarterly beginning July 1, 2023, and would require the council to submit a report including recommendations to the Legislature for improving outcomes of interactions with both individuals who have an intellectual or developmental disability and mental health conditions, as specified.

Introduced: 6/9/2022

Status:  6/29/2022-June 29 set for first hearing. Placed on suspense file.

SB 960

Senator Skinner

Public employment: peace officers: citizenship

Current law requires peace officers in this state to meet specified minimum standards, including, among other requirements, being at least 18 years of age, being of good moral character, as determined by a thorough background investigation, and being either a citizen of the United States or a permanent resident who is eligible for and has applied for citizenship, except as prescribed. This bill would remove the provision that requires peace officers to either be a citizen of the United States or be a permanent resident who is eligible for and has applied for citizenship, and would make conforming changes.

Amended: 5/25/2022

Status: 6/23/2022-Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

SB 1000

Senator Becker

Law enforcement agencies: radio communications. 

urrent law establishes the California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (CLETS) to make specified criminal justice databases, including individual criminal histories, wanted and missing persons, and stolen firearms, vehicles, and property, available to participating law enforcement agencies. Current law prohibits unauthorized access to CLETS and the unlawful use of CLETS information by authorized users. Existing law authorizes the Attorney General to adopt policies, procedures, and practices related to the use of CLETS. These rules require a participating agency to restrict access to CLETS and define “access” as the ability to see or hear any information obtained from CLETS. This bill would require a law enforcement agency, including the California Highway Patrol, municipal police departments, county sheriff’s departments, specified local law enforcement agencies, and specified university and college police departments, to, by no later than January 1, 2024, ensure public access to the radio communications of that agency, as specified.

Amended: 5/19/2022

Status:  6/21/2022-From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 5. Noes 2.) (June 21). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

SB 1464

Senator Pan

Law enforcement: public health orders

Current law requires all sheriffs to execute all lawful orders of a department in their counties. Current law authorizes each sheriff to enforce all orders of the State Department of Public Health or of the local health officer issued for the purpose of preventing the spread of any contagious, infectious, or communicable disease. Current law authorizes each peace officer of every political subdivision of the county to enforce within the area subject to their jurisdiction all orders of the State Department of Public Health or of the local health officer issued for the purpose of preventing the spread of any contagious, infectious, or communicable disease. This bill would instead require those sheriffs and peace officers to enforce those orders. By expanding the duties of local law enforcement, this bill would create a state-mandated local program.

Amended: 4/18/2022

Status: 4/29/2022-Failed Deadline pursuant to Rule 61(b)(5).

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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