Quarterly Newsletter
Peace Officer Standards Accountability Division
Q1 2026
DISCIPLINARY GUIDELINES - NOW AVAILABLE
At the December 3, 2025 meeting, the Commission voted to adopt Commission Regulation 1216 and incorporate by reference, Disciplinary Guidelines: Factors for Consideration of Penalty Related to Peace Officer Certification Actions. The Office of Administrative Law approved this rulemaking on February 17, 2026, and it became effective immediately.
This milestone reflects more than two years of collaboration between POST staff and the Commission.
A special thank you to Commissioners Kelly Gordon and Rick Braziel for their work as members of the subcommittee that developed these guidelines.
These guidelines support the Peace Officer Standards Accountability Advisory Board (POSAAB), the Commission, and Administrative Law Judges (ALJs) in determining an appropriate course of action when there is clear and convincing evidence that a peace officer has engaged in serious misconduct, as defined by Penal Code section 13510.8 and Commission Regulation 1205.
Ultimately, Commission Regulation 1216 establishes a consistent framework for determining whether an act or acts of serious misconduct warrant suspension or revocation of a peace officer’s certification. While these guidelines are intended for use by POSAAB, the Commission, and ALJs, it is beneficial for all peace officers to review and understand how they are applied.
Quick highlights:
- Who is this for? POSAAB members, Commissioners, ALJs, and peace officers (and their legal counsel)
- What can I find in this document? The nine categories of serious misconduct, each with factors to guide suspension or revocation decisions, and a list of standard and optional terms and conditions that may be considered as an alternative to revocation.
The Disciplinary Guidelines: Factors for Consideration of Penalty Related to Peace Officer Certification Actions (pdf) are available on the Publications page of the POST Website. Questions regarding these guidelines can be directed to Michelle Weiler, Bureau Chief of the Certification Bureau, at (916) 227-4870.
ADDRESS OF RECORD STATISTICS
Total Active, Separated, or Retired Peace Officers
- Total Addresses of Records: 49,862
- Personal Address or PO Box Designations: 21,113
- Agency Address Designations: 28,749
Active Peace Officers
- Total Addresses of Records: 44,136
- Personal Address or P.O. Box Designations: 17,812
- Agency Address Designations: 26,342
As a reminder, the designation of an Address of Record (AOR) is required, pursuant to Commission Regulation 1215. All active peace officers must create or log into their POST PASS account to designate an AOR. All retired peace officers must maintain an AOR via their POST PASS account for three years after their date of separation. The AOR is not disclosed to the public and is for POST use only to communicate important certification-related information to peace officers.
Peace officers may designate a personal address, a P.O. Box, or their agency address. Any designations of an agency address will use the agency’s headquarters address. It is the responsibility of any peace officer who designates an agency address to make arrangements with their current or former employing agency to receive correspondence from POST in a timely manner. As correspondence from POST is time sensitive, it is highly recommended that a personal address, or a P.O. Box that is checked regularly, be designated as the Address of Record.
Any questions regarding the address of record may be directed to the Certification Bureau at (916) 227-3765.
CURRENT PEACE OFFICER CERTIFICATION AND DECERTIFICATION STATISTICS
The statistics below include a brief summary of total agency misconduct reports (AMR), case volume, and the top three allegations as of March 19, 2026. For further statistics, please visit the POST Data Warehouse.
- Total Approved AMRs: 44,860
- Total Assigned Cases: 38,608
- Total Open Cases: 5,631
- Open Cases w/Agency: 2,538
- Open Cases w/POST: 3,093
- Total Closed Cases: 32,977
- 1205(a)(3) – Physical Abuse/Excessive or Unreasonable Use of Force: 18,133 allegations
- 1205(a)(5) – Demonstrating Bias: 13,735 allegations
- 1205(a)(2) – Abuse of Power: 8,353 allegations
CURRENT CERTIFICATION ACTION STATISTICS
From January 1, 2026, to March 24, 2026, POST has:
- Issued 12 Immediate Temporary Suspensions.
- Revoked 26 peace officer certifications.
- Four was a default revocation, which occur when peace officers who have received notice of revocation proceedings from POST fail to submit an appeal.
- Twenty-two were revocations based on felony or misdemeanor convictions identified in Government Code section 1029, occurring after January 1, 2022.
- Deemed 20 peace officers ineligible due to a felony or misdemeanor conviction identified in Government Code section 1029, occurring before January 1, 2022.
- Received 21 Voluntary Surrenders.
COMMISSION SERIOUS MISCONDUCT HEARING UPDATE
At the March 2026 hearing, the Commission reviewed three cases recommended by the Board.
In the days leading up to the Commission meeting, one of the subject officers voluntarily surrendered their peace officer certification. During the meeting, a Law Enforcement Consultant and Division Counsel were present to advise the Commission of the surrender and answer questions.
For the remaining two cases, the Commission unanimously voted to move both cases forward in the revocation process. POST will begin to initiate proceedings for a formal hearing before an Administrative Law Judge for both cases.
The next scheduled Board hearing is April 15, 2026, at POST HQ in West Sacramento.
CERTIFICATION BUREAU UPDATE
Important Reminders for Basic Certificates and Professional Certificates
A Proof of Eligibility (POE) or Basic Certificate is required for all peace officers specified in Penal Code section 13510.1(a). While the POE is automatically issued, if required, at the time of appointment, no subsequent certificates are automatic. Agencies or applicant peace officers must initiate/submit the application for Basic Certification and POST Professional Certificates.
The Basic Certificate is required to be issued within 24 months of appointment to all eligible peace officers to maintain authority to exercise peace officer powers. For those agencies with a 24-month probationary period, an additional three months is authorized. For peace officers who are not eligible for a Basic Certificate, the Proof of Eligibility will remain active for the duration of one’s career, unless they become eligible for and are awarded a Basic Certificate.
POST Professional Certificates are optional and have eligibility requirements based on a combination of time in service, higher education units/degrees earned, and in-service training. Please refer to Commission Regulation 1202 for the specific eligibility requirements of each Professional Certificate. Please note that jail deputies are not eligible for Professional Certificates, and corporals are not eligible for Supervisory Certificates.
Questions about peace officer certification or POST Professional Certificates may be directed to the Certification Bureau at (916) 227-3765.
MARK43 RECOMMENDATIONS AND REMINDERS
The following is a list of recommendations to help agency Mark43 reporters manage and submit their Mark43 reports:
- Agency email notification of a POST Public Complaint. Respond with a linked Mark43 report within ten days of the agency receiving the agency notification of Public Complaint - PUBLIC-26-000XXX.
- Submit draft and rejected reports. Review all draft reports for submission. Complete assigned tasks and resubmit rejected reports.
- Body-worn camera (BWC) footage. Do not upload BWC footage in the Attachments card. Indicate in the Narrative card if BWC footage is available.
- Barracuda email spam filter. This spam filter causes problems when an agency reporter resets their password. If your agency uses the Barracuda spam filter, please notify your IT department to submit an exception to the rule to allow Mark43 emails with embedded links to pass through the filter.
- User profile information. Please confirm your email address is correct and ensure the phone number is a direct line to the agency reporter. Current profile information is important as POST may need to conduct a follow-up to a Mark43 report. Send an email to the Complaint Intake inbox if your information needs to be updated.
The following is a reminder to review and update your Mark43 users:
The following is a reminder for managing permissions in Mark43:
- Manage Permissions. As new Mark43 users have been added to different agencies, POST has noticed an increase in requests for locating previously submitted Agency Misconduct Reports. To ensure every Mark43 user at your agency has access to all reports submitted, please adjust the permissions on each report you submit to POST. To do this, click on the “Manage Permissions” (padlock) icon at the top of the Mark43 page. Do not touch any of the preset role/group settings already established. Select “+ Role” then type and select your agency and change the drop-down to “Can Manage.”
Should you have any questions about responding to a POST Public Complaint, submitting an Agency Misconduct Report, submitting an Agency Supplemental Report, or managing permissions for your Mark43 reports, please contact the Intake and Disposition Bureau at (916) 227-2822.
PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT BUREAU UPDATES
Senate Bill (SB) 2 (2021) requires an agency to provide a report to POST when there are allegations of serious misconduct as defined in California Penal Code section 13510.8. The agency should report the findings from its administrative investigation, but should not include a specific finding regarding serious misconduct for purposes of decertification.
Additionally, any settlement agreement that includes an agency finding that “no serious misconduct” occurred related to SB 2 is not binding on POST. POST will review the reports and conduct an independent investigation to determine if the conduct constitutes serious misconduct. Furthermore, the Affidavit of Separation requires a certification to accurately document the reason for separation.
UPCOMING TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES
POST Intake and Disposition staff will be conducting several free, in-person and virtual trainings for Serious Misconduct Reporting with Mark43. To sign up for one of the training courses below, please visit Eventbrite.
Virtual POST Mark43 Agency User Training
- Wednesday, August 5, 2026
POST Mark43 Role Agency User Training (In Person)
- Wednesday, May 6, 2026, POST HQ in West Sacramento
- Wednesday, November 4, 2026, Location TBD
FREQUENTLY USED FORMS
Below are some quick links to frequently used POST peace officer certification forms:
RECENTLY APPROVED RULEMAKING FILES RELATED TO CERTIFICATION
The following is a list of recently approved rulemaking files, related to peace officer certification, 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.
- Adopt Disciplinary Guidelines for Factors for Consideration of Penalty Related to Peace Officer Certification Actions
Commission Regulation 1216
Approved February 17, 2026
Effective February 17, 2026
OAL Notice of Approval and Approved Text (pdf)
UPCOMING PEACE OFFICER STANDARDS ACCOUNTABILITY ADVISORY BOARD HEARING DATES
April 15, 2026
9:00 AM – Until Adjournment
POST Headquarters
860 Stillwater Road
West Sacramento, CA 95605
UPCOMING POST COMMISSION SERIOUS MISCONDUCT HEARING DATES
June 4, 2026
9:00 AM – Until Adjourned
POST Headquarters
860 Stillwater Road
West Sacramento, CA 95605
DISTRICT CONTACTS
The Peace Officer Standards Accountability Division identified and separated the State of California into districts. Cases will be handled regionally. Below are the Law Enforcement Consultant contacts listed for each district.
Professional Conduct Northern Bureau
Professional Conduct Central Bureau
Professional Conduct Southern Bureau