POST Monthly Report

November 2024

Keeping you up to date on POST projects

 

Supervisory Course Curriculum Update Workshop

Supervisory Course Curriculum Update Workshop SMEs pose for a photo with Law Enforcement Consultant Jim Katapodis.

On November 12-14, 2024, the Training Program Service Bureau held a three-day Supervisory Course Curriculum Update Workshop in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA. 

During the workshop, Bureau Chief Brian South, with the Professional Conduct Central Bureau, provided a presentation with recent updates to Senate Bill (SB) 2 (2021), specifically addressing issues facing new supervisors. This presentation was very beneficial to the curriculum group as the subject matter experts (SMEs) in attendance developed material from Chief South’s presentation that will be included in the updated Supervisory Course. 

The SMEs reviewed previous updates of the 80-hour course and created the final version of several modules. This new material will be uploaded to the POST Supervisory Course Network. Additionally, the SMEs also continued reviewing and updating the existing instructor guides, PowerPoints, handouts, and videos for several additional modules. Facilitators for the Supervisory Course Network will receive a notification when the revised content is uploaded.

Questions regarding the Supervisory Course Curriculum Development Workshop or the Supervisory Course may be directed to Jim Katapodis, Law Enforcement Consultant with the Training Program Services Bureau, at (916) 204-5587.

 

Revision to the POST Background Investigation Manual

In November 2024, the Strategic Communications and Research Bureau released a revised version of the POST Background Investigation Manual – Guidelines for the Investigator. The updated version addresses legislative and regulatory information and changes, including employment eligibility; engagement, participation, or expression of hate; reporting requirements of SB 2 (2021); training of investigators before conducting investigations; the Background Narrative Report sequencing of information; the mandate of the Medical Suitability Declaration and the Psychological Suitability Declaration forms; cannabis use information, including the revision of the Personal History Statements; use of the Verification of Qualification for Peace Officer Appointment; completion a POST query; use of the exact replication of the Personal History Statement – Peace Officer; and minor changes for consistency, clarity, and formatting.
 
Questions regarding the revised version may be directed to Kelli Surawski, Staff Services Manager I with the Strategic Communications and Research Bureau, at (916) 894-9523.

 

Pilot Presentation of Learning Domain 44 – Active Shooter


California Highway Patrol Academy cadets partake in the pilot presentation of LD 44 – Active Shooter. Disclaimer: the weapons in this image are training weapons that are solely used for training purposes.

On November 13-14, 2024, members of the Basic Training Bureau (BTB) observed the part of the pilot presentation of Learning Domain 44 – Active Shooter at the California Highway Patrol Academy. The training involved the delivery of three Required Learning Activities in the proposed Training and Testing Specifications. The proposed Required Learning Activities require students to demonstrate movement as a solo peace officer as well as a multiple peace officer response. It also requires students to participate in an active shooter incident simulation, including tactical movements to locate and stop the threat. This learning activity may also include rescue, evacuation, treatment, and transportation of victims.  

For questions regarding the proposed Basic Course Learning Domain 44 – Active Shooter training, please contact Brandon Kiely, Law Enforcement Consultant with the Basic Training Bureau, at (916) 809-3443.

 

Basic Course Certification Reviews


BTB staff conducted a BCCR of the College of the Redwoods’ Basic Courses.

BTB staff conducted a BCCR of the El Camino College's Module III Basic Course.

In the month of November, BTB conducted two Basic Course Certification Reviews (BCCR). The first BCCR took place on November 18-22, at the College of the Redwoods. BTB staff also conducted a BCCR of El Camino College’s Module III Basic Course on November 18-20. 

The BCCR is an in-depth review of Basic Course presenters and the certification of their courses to promote the quality, integrity, and safety of entry-level peace officer training in California. POST ensures all certified Basic Course presenters comply with Penal and Government Codes related to POST, Commission Regulations, Commission Procedures, and the Training and Testing Specifications.

For questions regarding the BCCR process, please contact Bill Lewis, Staff Services Manager with the Basic Training Bureau, at (916) 227-4856.
 

Meet the New POST Employees

Raeleen Hodel

Staff Services Analyst
Certification Bureau

Raeleen is new to state service. She comes to us from Elastic Path – a digital commerce platform. She has been working for many years in technology sales as a business development representative. Raeleen is assigned as a Staff Service Analyst in the Certification Bureau.

Fariha Faeezah

Staff Services Analyst
Certification Bureau

Fariha has over three years of work experience in Human Resources, including roles with the California Air Resources Board as a Performance Management Analyst and the California Franchise Tax Board as a Hiring Analyst. Fariha has a bachelor’s degree in Business Psychology from UC San Diego and a master’s degree in Human Resources Management from the University of Southern California. Fariha is currently assigned as a Staff Services Analyst with the Certification Bureau.

Teresa Smith

Office Technician (Typing)
Basic Training Bureau

Teresa came to us from the Office of Statewide Hospital Planning and Development, now known as the Department of Health Care Access and Information, as a seasonal clerk. She was responsible for scanning their historical library. Teresa is a Northern California native and a devoted mother of three wonderful adults and four grandsons. Teresa has a passion for bringing old treasures back to life through her skills in refurbishing antique furniture. Teresa enjoys traveling and spending free time by the ocean. Teresa is currently assigned as an Office Technician (Typing) with the Basic Training Bureau.

Simone Renteria

Attorney IV
Legal Affairs Bureau

Simone comes to us from 17 years with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s Office of Legal Affairs, where she served as Chief Deputy General Counsel for the past nine years. Simone has also worked in the Department of Consumer Affairs’ legal division, advising various boards and bureaus. Prior to state service, Simone practiced civil defense litigation in the private sector. Simone is assigned as an Attorney IV in the Legal Affairs Bureau. 

Talia Torres

Office Technician (Typing)
Intake and Disposition Bureau

Talia is a first-time state employee and is excited to join the Intake and Disposition Bureau while learning the ways of POST. Talia comes from an international background and just moved back to the United States about a year ago after living abroad. Previously, Talia lived in the United Kingdom for seven years and Spain for one year. Talia is assigned as an Office Technician (Typing) in the Intake and Disposition Bureau.

Recently Approved Rulemaking Files

The following is a list of recently approved rulemaking files proposed by the Commission on POST. The Office of Administrative Law reviews these rulemaking files to ensure compliance with the Administrative Procedures Act.

View all Commission on POST Regulatory Actions.

Additional information regarding the Commission Regulation changes can be obtained by contacting the Regulations Analyst at (916) 227-4894.

Legislative Update

Status of Current Legislation

The following is a list of bills POST monitored during the 2024 Legislative Session.  These bills could have an impact on POST operations or be of significant interest to law enforcement partners. It is not a complete list.  (Updated 9/30/2024)

Bill # and Author Title and Summary Status of Bill

AB 852

(Jones-Sawyer)

 Peace officers

Current law requires the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges, in consultation with specified entities, to develop a modern policing degree program and to prepare and submit a report to the Legislature by no later than June 1, 2023, outlining a plan to implement the program. Current law requires peace officers in this state to meet specified minimum standards, including age and education requirements. This bill would require a peace officer to attain a modern policing degree, as specified, or a bachelor’s or other advanced degree from an accredited college or university no later than January 1, 2029, or within 36 months of commencing their employment as a peace officer, as applicable.

Last Amend: 8/14/2024

Location:  9/1/2024-Held at Desk. - DEAD

AB 1725

(McCarty)

Law enforcement settlements and judgments: reporting.

Would require municipalities, as defined, to annually post on their internet websites specified information relating to settlements and judgments of $50,000 or more resulting from allegations of improper police conduct, including, among other information, amounts paid, broken down by individual settlement and judgment, information on bonds used to finance use of force settlement and judgment payments, and settlements or judgments paid by insurance. The bill would also require municipalities to annually post additional information pertaining to settlements and judgments, as specified, irrespective of the amount paid. By increasing requirements for local governments, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

Last Amend: 6/5/2024

Location:  8/15/2024-S. DEAD

AB 1839

(Alanis)

Peace officers: education and hiring grants

Would, subject to an appropriation, establish the Law Enforcement Officer Grant Program under the administration of the Student Aid Commission to provide grants of up to $6,000 per year to individuals enrolled in a modern policing degree program at a California community college who commit to work for 4 years as a peace officer at a law enforcement agency, as specified. The bill would require grant recipients to agree to repay the grant to the state if certain conditions for the grant are not met, except as specified. The bill would require, subject to an appropriation, the chancellor’s office to develop, in consultation with specified entities, materials to be distributed to counselors’ offices in schools serving grades 9 to 12, inclusive. The bill would require those materials to inform high school students about the existence of the modern policing degree program and the grant program described above, among other things. The bill would require the chancellor’s office to particularly target the materials for students of historically underserved and disadvantaged communities with barriers to higher education access.

Introduced: 1/6/2024

Status: 5/16/2024-A. DEAD

AB 2020

(Bonta)

Survivors of Human Trafficking Support Act

Under current law, human trafficking is a crime and law enforcement officers who are assigned field and investigative duties are required to complete minimum training pertaining to the handling of human trafficking complaints. Current law generally provides support services for individuals who are survivors of human trafficking, including public social services and address confidentiality, as specified. Current law establishes the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training to prescribe selection and training standards for peace officers. Current law requires the commission to develop training curriculum in specified areas and to develop model policies that may be used by local law enforcement agencies, including, model policies for investigations of missing persons, elder and dependent adult abuse, and hate crimes. This bill would require the commission to, by no later than June 1, 2026, develop guidelines for interacting with survivors of human trafficking. The bill would require each law enforcement agency to, by no later than December 1, 2026, adopt a written policy for interacting with survivors of human trafficking based on the guidelines developed by the commission.

Last Amend: 8/15/2024

Status:   9/26/2024-Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 615, Statutes of 2024

AB 2042

(Jackson)

Police canines: standards and training

Current law requires all law enforcement agencies to maintain a use of force policy, as specified, and requires the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training to implement courses of instruction for the training of law enforcement officers in the use of force. This bill would require the commission, on or before July 1, 2026, to develop guidelines, as specified, for the use of canines by law enforcement. The bill would authorize the commission to periodically update these guidelines. The bill would require law enforcement agencies with a canine unit, on or before July 1, 2027, to adopt a policy for the use of canines that, at a minimum, complies with the guidelines developed by the commission.

Last Amend: 7/3/2024

Status: 8/15/2024-S. DEAD

AB 2138

(Ramos)

 Peace officers: tribal police pilot project

Current law defines those persons who are peace officers in the state, grants certain authority to those individuals and their employing entities, and places certain requirements on those individuals and their employing entities. Current law also grants specified limited arrest authority to certain other persons, including federal criminal investigators and park rangers and peace officers from adjoining jurisdictions. Current federal law authorizes tribal governments to employ tribal police for the enforcement of tribal law on tribal lands. Current federal law requires the State of California to exercise criminal jurisdiction on Indian lands. Existing state law deems a tribal police officer who has been deputized or appointed by a county sheriff as a reserve or auxiliary deputy to be a peace officer in the State of California. This bill would, from July 1, 2025, until July 1, 2028, establish a pilot program under the Department of Justice and the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training granting peace officer authority to certain tribal police officers on Indian lands and elsewhere in the state under specified circumstances. The bill would authorize the department to select 3 tribal entities to participate, would set certain minimum qualifications and certification and training requirements for a tribal officer to act pursuant to this authority, and would place certain requirements on the employing tribe, including a limited waiver of sovereign immunity, and the adoption of a tribal law or resolution authorizing that exercise of authority and providing for public access to certain records.

Last Amend: 6/26/2024

Status: 9/28/2024-Vetoed by Governor.

AB 2541

(Bains)

 Peace officer training: wandering

Would require the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST), in consultation with specified subject matter experts and on or before January 1, 2026, to develop guidelines addressing wandering associated with Alzheimer’s disease, autism, and dementia, as specified.

Introduced: 8/7/2024

Status: 9/21/2024-Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 333, Statutes of 2024

AB 2621 

(Gabriel)

Law Enforcement Training

Current law requires the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training, in consultation with specified subject matter experts, to develop a course of instruction that trains law enforcement on, among other things, indicators of hate crimes and techniques, responses to hate crime waves against certain groups, including Arab and Islamic communities, and methods to handle incidents of hate crimes in a noncombative manner. This bill would require instruction to include identifying when a gun violence restraining order is appropriate to prevent a hate crime and the procedure for seeking a gun violence restraining order. The bill would additionally require instruction on responses to hate crime waves against specified groups, including the LGBTQ and Jewish communities.

Last Amend: 5/20/2024

Status:   9/24/2024-Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 532, Statutes of 2024

AB 2710

(Lackey)

Peace officers: active shooter incidents

Would require the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) to convene a panel of law enforcement experts to report to the Legislature and the commission, by January 1, 2027, specified topics related to active shooter incidents, including successful trainings and response protocols that have been demonstrated in active shooter incidents and the use of school resource officers on campus for threat prevention, detection, and assessment. The bill would repeal these provisions as of January 1, 2031.

Last Amend: 4/8/2024

Status: 5/16/2024-A. DEAD

AB 2923

(Jones-Sawyer)

Peace officers: public complaints

Current law requires each department or agency that employs peace officer to establish a procedure to investigate complaints by members of the public against the personnel of the department or agency. This bill would require a form used during the complaint process to include a provision inquiring whether the complaint includes an allegation of racial or identify profiling and a space to describe the allegation. The bill would define “complaint” for these purposes to mean a report, given either in writing or verbally, that brings to the attention of a department or agency an incident during which the complainant perceives that a department or agency employee engaged in misconduct, as specified.

Last Amend: 4/17/2024

Status: 4/25/2024-A. DEAD

AB 3021

(Kalra)

Criminal procedure: interrogations

Current law prohibits the prosecuting attorney, attorney for the defendant, or investigator for either the prosecution or the defendant from interviewing, questioning, or speaking to a victim or witness whose name has been disclosed by the defendant pursuant to current law without first clearly identifying themself and identifying the full name of the agency by whom they are employed, and identifying whether they represent, or have been retained by, the prosecution or the defendant. Under current law, if an interview takes place in person, the party is also required to show the victim or witness a business card, official badge, or other form of official identification before commencing the interview or questioning. This bill would require a peace officer, as defined, a prosecuting attorney, or an investigator for the prosecution, prior to interviewing an immediate family member of a person who has been killed or seriously injured by a peace officer, to clearly identify themself, if the interview takes place in person, to show identification, and to clearly state specified information, including that the family member has the right to ask about the status of their family member prior to answering questions, has the right to remain silent, and before speaking with the interviewer, can consult with a trusted person and can have that person with them while they speak to the interviewer.

Introduced: 5/9/2024

Status: 8/31/2024-S. INACTIVE FILE - DEAD

AB 3038

(Essayli)

School safety: armed school resource officers

Existing law authorizes the governing board of a school district to establish a security department under the supervision of a chief of security as designated by, and under the direction of, the superintendent of the school district. Existing law also authorizes the governing board of a school district to establish a school police department under the supervision of a school chief of police and to employ peace officers.This bill would require a school district or charter school to hire or contract with at least one armed school resource officer, as defined, authorized to carry a loaded firearm to be present at each school of the school district or charter school during regular school hours and any other time when pupils are present on campus, phased in by certain grade spans, as provided. By imposing an additional requirement on school districts and charter schools, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

Last Amend: 4/1/2024

Status: 4/25/2024-A. DEAD

AB 3241

(Pacheco)

Law enforcement: police canines

Would require the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST), on or before January 1, 2026, to adopt uniform, minimum guidelines regarding the use of canines by law enforcement, including legal standards established by the bill, and, on or before July 1, 2026, to certify courses of training for all law enforcement canine handlers and those law enforcement supervisors directly overseeing canine programs, as specified. The bill would require, on or before July 1, 2027, each law enforcement agency with a canine unit to maintain a policy for the use of canines by the agency that, at a minimum, complies with the guidelines adopted by POST, and would require law enforcement agencies to establish a training regimen that includes a course certified by the commission. Because the bill would impose additional duties on local law enforcement agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

Introduced: 8/15/2024

Status: 8/31/2024-S. INACTIVE FILE - DEAD

SB 400

(Wahab)

Peace officers: confidentiality of records

The California Public Records Act generally requires public records to be open for inspection by the public. Current law provides numerous exceptions to this requirement. Under current law, the personnel records of peace officers and custodial officers are confidential and not subject to public inspection. Current law provides certain exemptions to this confidentiality, including the reports, investigations, and findings of certain incidents involving the use of force by a peace officer. This bill would clarify that this confidentiality does not prohibit an agency that formerly employed a peace officer or custodial officer from disclosing the termination for cause of that officer, as specified.

Last Amend: 1/25/2024

Status: 2/29/2024-Signed by the Governor

SB 1020

Senator Bradford

Law enforcement agency regulations: shooting range targets

Current law requires law enforcement agencies to maintain specified policies, including policies regulating the use of force and the use of certain defensive weapons. Current law requires each peace officer to complete all pre-service and in-service training mandated by the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training. This bill would require each law enforcement agency and police academy to prohibit the use, as specified, of ethnic shooting targets, as defined.

Last Amend: 3/19/2024

Status: 9/25/2024-Vetoed by the Governor.

SB 1026

(Smallwood-Cuevas)

School safety: law enforcement agencies: contracts

Current law authorizes the governing board of a school district to contract with a private licensed security agency to ensure the safety of school district personnel and pupils and the security of the real and personal property of the school district when the personnel normally required to provide those services fail to do so because of an emergency or when such an emergency necessitates additional security services, as provided. This bill would require the governing board of a school district that establishes a security department or police department, and the governing board or body of a local educational agency, as defined, that enters into a contract on or after January 1, 2025, with a local police or sheriff’s department or private licensed security agency to provide school security services, to do certain things, including specify the parameters on the use of weapons, including, but not limited to, handcuffs, pepper spray, batons, and firearms, on a school campus. By imposing new duties on local educational agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

Last Amend: 3/11/2024

Status: 4/25/2024-S. DEAD

SB 1122

(Seyarto)

Peace officers: educational requirements

Current law requires the office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to develop a modern policing degree program, with the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training and other stakeholders to serve as advisors, as specified, and to submit a report on recommendations to the Legislature outlining a plan to implement the program on or before June 1, 2023. Current law requires the report to include, among other things, recommendations to include both the modern policing degree program and a bachelor’s degree in the discipline of their choosing as minimum education requirements for employment as a peace officer. Current law requires the commission to adopt the recommended criteria within 2 years of when the office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges submits its report to the Legislature. This bill would specify that a bachelor’s degree or an associate’s degree required for employment as a peace officer under these provisions may be obtained after completion of the Peace Officer Standards and Training program and within 36 months of employment as a peace officer.

Last Amend: 3/18/2024

Status: 6/13/2024-A. DESK - DEAD

SB 1264

(Grove)

Employment discrimination: cannabis use. 

Current law prohibits an employer from discriminating against a person in hiring, termination, or a term or condition of employment, or otherwise penalizing a person because of the person’s use of cannabis off the job and away from the workplace or an employer-required drug screening test that has found the person to have nonpsychoactive cannabis metabolites in their hair, blood, urine, or other bodily fluids. Current law exempts certain applicants and employees from those provisions, including applicants and employees hired for positions that require a federal government background investigation or security clearance, as specified. This bill would exempt from the provision prohibiting employers from discriminating against a person for use of cannabis off the job and away from the workplace applicants and employees in sworn positions within law enforcement agencies who have certain functions, including functions related civil enforcement matters or coroner functions.

Last Amend: 6/17/2024

Status:  7/2/2024-A. DEAD

SB 1489

(McGuire)

Peace officers: Peace Officer Standards Accountability Advisory Board

Current law creates the Peace Officer Standards Accountability Advisory Board, the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training, and the Peace Officer Standards Accountability Division. Current law requires the board to report annually on the activities of the division, board, and commission relating to peace officer certification, including the number of applications for certification, the events reported, the number of investigations conducted, and the number of certificates surrendered or revoked. This bill would require the board to prepare the report no later than February 1 of each year.

Last Amend: 3/20/2024

Status: 8/15/2024-A. THIRD READING - DEAD

SB 1518

(Committee on Public Safety)

Public safety omnibus

Current law requires law enforcement agencies to provide victims with specified information about victims’ rights and resources. This bill would fix an erroneous cross-reference in these provisions. This bill contains other related provisions and other existing laws.

Last Amend: 8/8/2024

Status: 9/22/2024-Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 495, Statutes of 2024

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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