Perishable Skills Program
POST is the principal liaison between the Commission and
law enforcement agencies, training managers, and
course presenters. POST works with over 700 POST law enforcement presenters, as well as a
number of agencies not in the POST program, to certify quality law enforcement
training and to ensure the delivery of that training.
Perishable Skills/Communications Requirement for CPT
Effective January 1, 2002, all peace officers (except reserve officers and
jail deputies) below the middle management position are required to complete
Perishable Skills and Communications training. In-lieu of completing the
training, the requirement may be met by successfully passing a
presenter-developed test that measures the approved training objectives.
Perishable Skills training shall consist of a minimum of 12 hours in each 2
year period. Of the total 12 hours required, a minimum of 4 hours of each of
the 3 following topical areas shall be completed:
- Arrest and Control
- Driver Training/Awareness or Driving Simulator*
- Tactical Firearms* or Force Options Simulator
*Reference
Commission Procedure D-2
for minimum requirements.
Communications training, either tactical or interpersonal, shall consist of a
minimum of 2 hours in each 2-year period. Reference
Commission Procedure D-2
for minimum requirements.
It is recommended that managers and executives complete, within their 2-year
compliance cycle, 2 hours of CPT devoted to updates in the perishable skills
topical areas enumerated above.
Exemptions: Agencies may request an exemption from all or
part of the Perishable Skills and Communications training requirement.
Agencies must request an exemption in writing and provide an attestation that
their peace officers do not carry firearms, or they infrequently interact with
or effect physical arrests of criminal suspects, or do not utilize marked
emergency vehicles during normal course of business.
Questions: The state is divided into 10 service areas, each of
which is overseen and serviced by a law enforcement training consultant
assigned to this bureau. For questions regarding the Perishable Skills Program
or Regional Skills Training Centers please contact the
Regional Consultant in your area.
For additional information, please contact the Training Delivery and
Compliance Bureau at
(916) 227-4862
or
(916) 227-4863.
Regional Skills Training Centers
POST has developed
24 Regional Skills Training Centers
(RSTCs) to provide a cost-effective way to meet the perishable skills training
needs of more than 80,000 sworn officers. The sites are equipped with Law
Enforcement Driving Simulators (LEDS) and/or Force Options Simulators (FOS),
as well as skid training cars and platforms, training mannequins, computers,
LCD projectors and other related training equipment. Implementation costs for
each site are about $603,000. Total equipment costs to date are approximately
$15,000,000.
The intent of this program is to place an RSTC within one hour's driving time
of every California law enforcement agency. In addition to the fixed
locations, there are mobile FOS and LEDS systems that take simulation training
to agencies located in remote areas of the state. The cost of delivering the
training is absorbed by POST through contracts with the presenters. The
average tuition for each 4-hour course is $110.00.
Studies have shown that incidents involving perishable skills make up the
majority of law enforcement and civilian deaths, injuries and resulting legal
claims. The same studies show that after two years without refresher training,
those skills begin to deteriorate. Perishable skills for peace officers have
been identified as driving, tactical firearms, force options, arrest and
control, and verbal communications.
The LEDS and FOS provide a series of simulations based on real situations
encountered by California peace officers. The officer trainees hone judgment
and decision making skills in a safe environment while faced with the
distractions (lights, sirens, radio calls, partners, suspects, and citizens)
that occur in the real world. The skid car trainers, mannequins, and other
equipment focus on psychomotor training.