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
The POST Perishable Skills Program (PSP) was implemented on January 1, 2002. This program required certain categories of peace officers to complete 12 hours of psychomotor and 2 hours of communications training every 24 months as part of the POST Continuing Professional Training (CPT) requirements. In 2019 and 2020, POST convened various subject matter expert groups to review and update the Minimum Content and Course Objective requirements for each of the PSP course categories. In 2021, the PSP was expanded to include Use of Force as a fifth course category, adding an additional four (4) hours to the training requirement. The total number of hours for the PSP is now 12 hours of psychomotor, 2 hours of communications, and 4 hours of use of force training every 24 months.
The five (5) categories of courses included in the PSP are:
| Category I |
Tactical Firearms |
4 hour minimum |
| Category II |
Driver Training/Awareness |
4 hour minimum |
| Category III |
Arrest & Control |
4 hour minimum |
| Category IV |
Strategic Communications |
2 hour minimum |
| Category V |
Use of Force |
4 hour minimum |
Courses in each of the above categories must include the specified minimum topics and exercises and meet the stated course objectives to qualify for the PSP program. Presenters must continue to identify each minimum topic and exercise that is required in the expanded course outline based on the specified minimum topics for each perishable skills topic. All evaluations, exercises, and testing are the responsibility of the presenter. POST does not provide testing or evaluation materials. All minimum topics and course objectives may be found in Commission Regulation 1005(d).
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.
For questions regarding the Perishable Skills Program, please contact the Regional Consultant in your area or the Training Delivery and Compliance Bureau at (916) 227-4862 or (916) 227-4863.