October 2010

REDESIGNED POST COURSE CATALOG

Computer Services Bureau (CSB) has released a new version of the Internet-based POST Course Catalog.

Prior to embarking on this project CSB surveyed peace officers, training managers, and other frequent users of the course catalog to determine areas of the catalog that could be improved and to identify new features.

In response to clients’ requests and suggestions, the enhancements incorporated into the redesign include:

 

• Real-time Data: The course catalog is directly linked to the EDI system.  When EDI is updated, the catalog is updated simultaneously.
• Robust Search: Search for courses by course title, keywords, location, presenter, or date.
• Advanced Search: Additionally, search for courses within a specific reimbursement plan, number of hours, perishable skills, course control number, and more.
• Categorized Information: Features 12 popular categories including POST Regulations, Legislative Mandates, and Dispatcher courses.
• Lists: Courses in alphabetical order; multimedia courses; and presenters with contact information, details about upcoming presentations, and courses certified.

To access the redesigned Course Catalog, please visit http://catalog.post.ca.gov.  To send comments or questions, please use the “Contact Us” link on the Course Catalog.

Questions about the redesigned POST Course Catalog may be directed to Senior Information Systems Analyst Xenia Guido, Computer Services Bureau, at (916) 956-2430.

POST ATTENDS LAW ENFORCEMENT DRIVING SIMULATOR USERS CONFERENCE

Executive Director Paul Cappitelli and Senior Consultants Bryon Gustafson and Cliff Peppers were invited to participate in the annual FAAC Users Conference in Alexandria, Virginia in October.

The FAAC Corporation is the manufacturer of 108 Law Enforcement Driver Simulators (LEDS) currently being installed in the Regional Skills Training Centers throughout the state.
Director Cappitelli served as the keynote speaker for the conference, outlining the POST SAFE Driving Campaign and the impact of driving simulators on the training of law enforcement officers.  Research has shown that LEDS training is both effective and efficient, reduces the likelihood of collisions, and costs less than behind-the-wheel EVOC training.  LEDS are already in use for in-service training. POST is in the process of integrating the use of LEDS into academy training as well.

The conference included hands-on training in scenario upgrading and development, which will give POST the ability to custom design California-specific scenarios into both in-service and academy training.

Questions about simulator training may be directed to Senior Consultant Cliff Peppers, Training Program Services Bureau, at (916) 227-4887.

NATIONAL LAW ENFORCEMENT MUSEUM BREAKS GROUND

Executive Director Paul Cappitelli and Senior Consultant Bryon Gustafson attended the groundbreaking for the National Law Enforcement Museum in Washington, DC, in October.  The National Law Enforcement Museum is supported by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF), headed by Chairman and CEO Craig Floyd.  Mr. Floyd is a member of the SAFE Driving Campaign Advisory Board and is a strong supporter of POST’s work to reduce law enforcement fatalities.

The museum is being constructed almost entirely underground—beneath the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial located at 400 7th Street NW, in Washington, DC.  The museum was first authorized by Congress in 2000 and is scheduled to open in 2013.  Executive Director Cappitelli plans to make several pieces of POST memorabilia available to the museum to ensure that the nation’s first law enforcement standards agency is recognized in the history of American law enforcement.

Questions about the National Law Enforcement Museum Groundbreaking or Craig Floyd’s role with the SAFE Driving Campaign can be directed to Senior Consultant Bryon Gustafson, Training Program Services Bureau, at (916) 227-3902.

NEW IDENTITY THEFT COURSE ON POST LEARNING PORTAL

“Identity Theft for Patrol” is the latest online course available on the POST Learning Portal.  This training will equip patrol officers with the skills and information needed to recognize and address identity theft and associated crimes.  By working through scenarios, officers are trained to recognize evidence, understand relevant statutes, assist victims, and identify information that can be used in follow-up investigations.

Within the first month of its release, 480 officers completed the online course, each receiving five (5) hours of CPT credit.

Questions about the Identity Theft course may be directed to Learning Technology Resources Manager Jan Myyra, Learning Technology Resources Bureau, at (916) 227-4550.

INSTRUCTOR STANDARDS ADVISORY COUNCIL MEETING HELD IN SAN DIEGO

The Instructor Standards Advisory Council (ISAC) meeting was held in San Diego in October.  Napa Valley College and the San Diego Regional Training Center updated the Council members on how their respective programs performed over the past several months and their expectations for the next six months.  The San Diego Regional Training Center reported on the Instructor Symposium that was held in June, as well as plans for the 2011 Instructor Symposium to be held in San Jose in April 2011.

POST Special Consultant Dr. Sue Oliviera provided insight regarding the POST Strategic Plan Objective regarding the feasibility of awarding college credit for select POST training courses, including IDI.  The Council proposed sending Dr. Oliviera’s report to the Commission with a recommendation to close out the Strategic Plan Objective.

The IDI database was demonstrated.  It contains information of importance to IDI students, such as upcoming training courses and links to IDI-related sites; provides IDI course transcripts and certificates; and allows for networking.

The Council discussed existing prerequisite online training prior to students attending IDI Levels 1, 2, and 3.  ISAC members supported “raising the bar” in this manner.  POST staff will work with Napa Valley College and the San Diego Regional Training Center to implement the proposal.

Questions about this symposium may be directed to Senior Consultant Anne Brewer, Training Program Services Bureau, at (916) 227-4895.

GORDON GRAHAM HIGHLIGHTS SAFE DRIVING CAMPAIGN

Nationally-recognized trainer Gordon Graham made several references to the POST SAFE Driving Campaign and highlighted POST’s efforts to reduce fatal law enforcement traffic collisions at the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) conference in Orlando, Florida.  Mr. Graham’s remarks on SAFE Driving were part of a two-hour presentation titled “Cops Don’t Know Where the Chief Is!” in which he focused on the importance of front line supervision as the key to holding officers accountable and improving policing.  Mr. Graham also highlighted Law Officer Magazine and LawOfficer.com, and the work of Editor-in-Chief Dale Stockton in “Below 100”—the national campaign to reduce annual law enforcement fatalities to less than 100 officers for the first time in decades.

Both Mr. Graham and Mr. Stockton are members of the SAFE Driving Campaign Advisory Board.  Mr. Stockton is also a former POST Commissioner.  These collaborations have significantly expanded the reach of the SAFE Driving Campaign.

Questions about the SAFE Driving Campaign may be directed to Senior Consultant Bryon Gustafson, Training Program Services Bureau, at (916) 227-3902.

PUBLIC SAFETY DISPATCHER ADVISORY COUNCIL HOLDS ITS SECOND MEETING

The newly-formed Public Safety Dispatcher Advisory Council (PSDAC) convened in Costa Mesa in October for its second meeting.  Steve Ynzunza, from the Gilroy Police Department, chairs the PSDAC, comprised of communications personnel from throughout the state, each representing a region of California.  The council has divided the state into the same geographic areas POST uses for regional training and compliance assignments.  Each PSDAC member will be the dispatcher liaison from the specific region to the council.  One member of the council has been nominated to represent dispatcher interests statewide on the POST Advisory Committee.  The PSDAC discussed training issues and recently-developed continuing professional training (CPT) courses.  A subgroup of the council will meet to codify its general business rules.  The next PSDAC meeting is scheduled for March.

Questions about the PSDAC may be directed to POST Senior Consultant Don Shingara, Basic Training Bureau, at (916) 227-3935; or Special Consultant Lou Madeira, Standards and Training Services Bureau, at (916) 227-4871.

Questions about the pilot dispatcher CPT courses may be addressed to Associate Governmental Program Analyst Kathy Hobson, Management Counseling Services Bureau, at (916) 227-3911.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR PRESENTS TO MAJOR CITIES CHIEFS ASSOCIATION

During October, Executive Director Paul Cappitelli presented to the Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCC) during its triannual meeting held in conjunction with the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) conference in Orlando, Florida.  Executive Director Cappitelli drew attention to the ongoing high incidence of fatal law enforcement traffic collisions in California and around the nation.  He highlighted POST’s SAFE Driving Campaign as a practical model for addressing the problem.

Executive Director Cappitelli was introduced by the MCC President, Chief Rob Davis of San Jose, California.  Chief Davis commended POST for its work on SAFE Driving.  The meeting was well-attended by other California members of the MCC, including POST Commissioner Chief Anthony Batts of Oakland.

Questions about the SAFE Driving Campaign or Executive Director Cappitelli’s presentation to the MCC may be directed to Senior Consultant Bryon Gustafson, Training Program Services Bureau, at (916) 227-3902.

FUTURE VISION TEAM MEMBERS ATTEND COMMAND COLLEGE PRESENTATIONS

Members of POST’s Future Vision Team attended futures-focused presentations by members of Command College Class 48.  Class 48 dedicated a day of its week-long session in mid-October to the presentation of four scenarios describing changes that could occur at POST by the year 2020.  The four scenarios addressed the future in the context of emerging trends within society, technology, the environment, the economy, and politics.  Predominant recurring trends cited were 1) technologically delivered training, ranging from blended learning through augmented reality (e.g., graphic overlays) and tactile feedback applications, and 2) economic instability.

Interestingly, the Future Vision Team’s independent scanning efforts from February through August pointed to many similar trends (technology advancements in web-based training and diminishing government funding) impacting peace officer standards and training through 2020.

The information gained from the Command College presentations will be incorporated into the scenarios being developed by the Future Vision Team.

Questions about the Future Vision Team and its progress may be directed to Bureau Chief Mike Hooper, Center for Leadership Development Bureau, at (916) 227-4805.

Questions about the Command College may be directed to Senior Consultant Mike Davies, Center for Leadership Development Bureau, at (916) 227-4892.

SAFE DRIVING CAMPAIGN PRESENTED TO CANADIAN CHIEFS

POST staff delivered a 1-hour presentation titled “Reducing Law Enforcement Collisions: A Data-Based Approach to Policy and Practice” at the joint Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police/Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police Traffic Symposium in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada in October.  The presentation highlighted the methodology used in the SAFE Driving Campaign that has helped to identify critical driving errors and policy and practice interventions.  More than 100 law enforcement managers and executives were in attendance from throughout Canada.  SAFE Driving Campaign Vehicle Operations and Training Advisory Council (VOTAC) member Captain Travis Yates of the Tusla (Oklahoma) Police Department also presented on “Driver Training Practices” at the symposium.

The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police sponsors a national traffic symposium every year.  The symposium addresses both officer highway safety and traffic enforcement.  Canada’s model is similar to one proposed to the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) by Executive Director Paul Cappitelli last year.  The NIJ is in the midst of a leadership transition and the American traffic symposium has not yet materialized.

Questions about the Canadian Traffic Symposium or the SAFE Driving Campaign may be directed to Senior Consultant Bryon Gustafson, Training Program Services Bureau, at (916) 227-3902.

POST STAFF CONDUCTS PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS AT THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CHIEFS OF POLICE

POST Supervising Personnel Selection Consultant Shelley Weiss Spilberg, Ph.D., chaired a symposium at the annual conference of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) in Orlando, Florida.  The session, entitled “The Selection and Use of Written Instruments in Peace Officer Psychological Screening: Advice and Admonitions,” was presented as part of the Police Psychological Services Section track.  In addition to Dr. Spilberg, presenters included Yossef Ben-Porath, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology at Kent State University; Michael Roberts, Ph.D., President of Law Enforcement Psychological Services, Los Gatos, California; and Stephen P. Griffin, Psy.D., Chief Psychologist at the Institute for Personality and Ability Testing.  Panel members provided practical advice and cautions regarding the proper, lawful, and effective selection and use of tests in peace officer pre-employment psychological screening.

In addition to the IACP presentation, Dr. Spilberg joined Sharon Rennert, Senior Legal Counsel, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Washington, D.C., to provide an update on legal issues and recent POST efforts impacting pre-employment psychological assessment to the annual Johnson, Roberts and Associates pre-conference workshop.  The workshop, attended by over 35 psychologists from across the country, was conducted in a question-and-answer format, with the presenters responding to questions asked by attendees.

Questions about the presentations may be directed to Supervising Personnel Selection Consultant Shelley Spilberg, Ph.D., Standards and Evaluation Services Bureau, at
(916) 227-4824.

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