Published: Fri, 05/06/2016 - 11:23am
It is hard to believe that we are already one quarter of the way through 2016! I had hoped to get this information out in April, but I will have to settle for a few days into May.
I want to start by thanking all of you that completed the recent survey you received requesting your feedback for an audit of the Colorado POST. The final piece of that audit occurred with the audit team on-site for two days, April 20th and 21st. We are on track to have the results by June so I can present the findings to the POST Board on June 3rd.
On April 27th, POST hosted our annual POST Board grant sub-committee grant review meeting to make funding recommendations for each training region and training providers. The grant application process begins with each training region and training provider submitting applications to POST by March 31st of each year. Each grant application is reviewed to ensure that every request is allowable and eligible. The grant sub-committee is made up of six POST Board members, the POST Grant Manager and myself, we review the applications to ensure that the grant award process is fair and equitable. The grant sub-committee has given POST staff their recommendations and we will be sending out preliminary award letters notifying each training region and provider what their probable award might be. I used the term probable because the grant sub-committee recommendations must go before the POST Board on June 3rd for final approval. Once the POST Board determines final award distributions, POST staff will notify each training region and training provider of their final award amount. Grant contracts will be developed and funds will then available to each training region and training provider on July 1st when the new state fiscal year begins. I have heard from several agency executives that they have little or no contact with their training region. In an effort to facilitate better communication between training region contacts and agencies, I am including each training region contact's name and contact information. Please reach out to me if you don\'t know which training region you are in or have any other training region concerns.
| Central Mt. Trng. Foundation | Neal Tyler | 719-269-7760 | ntyler@cmtftraining.com |
| Greater Metro | Karl Erichson | 720-887-2080 | kerichson@broomfield.org |
| I-70 | Autumn Hernandez | 970-945-0453 | ahernandezt@garcosheriff.com |
| North Central | Sgt. Jason Oehlkers | 303-441-1031 | joehlkers@bouldercounty.org |
| Northeast | Diana Evans | 970-542-3445 | devans@co.morgan.us |
| Northwest | Undersheriff Wayne Schafer | 970-531-6800 | wschafer@co.grand.co.us |
| San Louis Valley Trng. Foundation | Wendy Sewell | 303-589-3338 | admin@slv-le-training.org |
| Southeast | Chief Todd Quick | 719-384-2525 | TQuick@ci.la-junta.co.us |
| Southwest | Gini England | 970-739-3687 | swpostgrants@gmail.com |
| West Central | Staci Writer | 970-244-3954 | staci.writer@mesacounty.us |
POST staff continues to create additional on-line training to be released soon. Legislators mandated that POST create Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities training and make it available to law enforcement by June 30th, 2016. We are on schedule to meet this mandate. Meanwhile, POST staff is also creating a two-hour block of Anti-Bias Policing training. This training will be completed in early July of this year and will be hosted permanently on the POST website. The POST website currently provides some additional training resources for anti-bias policing and we will increase those training resources by the end of May. Agencies are not required to use any of the POST anti-bias curriculum or the resources provided, these anti-bias training options are provided as just that, another option.
As a reminder, 24-31-315 (1) (also known as HB 15-1287) states that "each certified peace officer shall satisfactorily complete the training by July 1, 2017, and shall satisfactorily complete the training at least once every five years thereafter."
All four of the below classes must be completed by July 1, 2017 and each class is two hours in length:
| First Year of the Training |
|---|
| Proper Holds and Restraints training Anti-Bias training Community Policing / Community Partnership training De-Escalation training |
| TOTAL of 8 hours in year one |
After all four of the classes have been satisfactorily completed in that first year, these classes will then be taught in a two year cycle. This two year cycle must be completed once every five years. The cycle will look as follows:
| First Year of the Cycle | Second Year of the Cycle |
|---|---|
| Proper Holds and Restraints Training Anti-Bias Training EITHER: Community Policing/Community Partnership OR:De-Escalation Training |
Proper Holds and Restraints Training Anti-Bias Training (And whichever class you didn\'t train in the previous year): EITHER: Community Policing/Community Partnership OR: De-Escalation Training |
| TOTAL of 6 hours in subsequent years | TOTAL of 6 hours in subsequent years |
Another component of this legislation is the suspension of a non-compliant officer's certification by the POST Board until the training requirements are achieved.
Some agencies are choosing to train all four of the required disciplines every year simply for ease of documentation and tracking purposes. You may begin counting training hours toward this mandate immediately. You may also apply the mandated subjects outlined above toward your total mandated 24 hours (Rule 28) of annual training for each officer. As always, the agency executive decides what constitutes appropriate training for their agency, not POST. POST only compiles the total number of hours reported in Acadis. POST staff will continue to work with each agency to achieve compliance rather than to enforce certification suspensions.
I realize that these mandates can be confusing and frustrating, however, I hope you see POST as a proactive partner in assisting each officer and agency in achieving these mandates.
As always, I welcome your feedback.
Cory Amend
POST Director