NEVADA COMMISSION ON PEACE OFFICERS STANDARDS AND TRAINING

NEVADA COMMISSION ON PEACE OFFICERS’ STANDARDS AND TRAINING Richard P. Clark Ron Pierini Executive Director Commission Chairman

Agenda INTRODUCTION/PURPOSE HISTORY NEVADA POST MISSION, VISION AND PHILOSOPHY STATEMENTS ORGANIZATION & FUNCTION IADLEST – Model Minimum Standards QUESTIONS

National POST History Ø 1930’s – President Hoover empowered the Wickersham Commission to look into American policing. • They concluded that law enforcement was far too often found to be corrupt, brutal, and composed of unethical and untrained personnel. Ø 1953 – American Bar Association published “Model Police Training Act”. • It was recognized that policing in this country required improved professionalism.

National POST History (continued) Ø 1960’s – President Johnson’s Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice published two reports recommending a POST Commission be established in all states to effect regulatory functions (17 states already had POST organizations). Ø 1965 – Nevada POST Commission established with a minimum requirement of 72 hours of training. Ø 1969 – International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards and Training (IADLEST) Founded.

Nevada POST Background Ø 1965 – Nevada Legislature established POST to “Raise the Level of Competence of State and Local Law Enforcement Officers by Adopting Rules, Establishing Minimum Standards Relating to Physical, Mental and Moral Fitness, Which Shall Govern the Recruitment of Any City, County or State Agency Employing Peace Officers. ” Ø 1999 – State Bill 68 was passed Re-establishing POST as a Stand Alone Commission under the Governor’s Office. • Governor Appoints Nine Commissioners • Commission Appoints the Executive Director, Who Appoints the 17 Member Staff • POST is funded by Court Assessments (approximately Three Million annually)

Nevada POST Ø POST exists to assure citizens that Peace Officers meet minimum standards of competency and are ethical and professional.

Mission TO DEVELOP AND DELIVER PROFESSIONAL TRAINING, ENSURING THAT ALL NEVADA PEACE OFFICERS AND THEIR AGENCIES COMPLY WITH ESTABLISHED STATUTES AND REGULATIONS

Vision TO CONTINUALLY RAISE PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS AND TRAINING EXCELLENCE FOR ALL NEVADA PEACE OFFICERS

Philosophy POST IS COMMITTED TO THE PRINCIPLES OF PROFESSIONALISM, INTEGRITY AND LEADERSHIP IN ATTAINING THE HIGHEST STANDARDS FOR PUBLIC SAFETY AS THE CORNERSTONE OF A FREE AND SAFE SOCIETY

Sheriff Ron Pierini, Chairman Chief Michael Poehlman Organization Sheriff Anthony De. Meo Richard P. Clark Sheriff Ron Skinner Executive Director Jerry Hafen Marilyn Mc. Elhany Assistant Sheriff Ray Flynn Heather Elliott Executive Assistant Chief Tom Finn Admin Services Director Howard Skolnik Tim Bunting Chief Investigator Cynthia Wyett Deputy Director Shirley Micallef Business Process Analyst Doyle Smith Facilities Manager Professional Standards Bureau Professional Development Bureau Basic Training Bureau Scott Johnston Boe Turner Gary Turner Bureau Chief Cindy Smith Joyce Smith Administrative Assistant Vacant Audits/Compliance Sharon Daniels Records and Certification Supervisor Kathy Floyd Sally Cardinal Administrative Aide Administrative Assistant Ben West Curriculum Development Orlando Guerra Vacant Training Officers POST Academy Cadets

The Commission Ø NRS 289. 510 Was Re-affirmed in 1999 Ø Confirms the Commission’s Powers, Duties and Responsibilities • Meet at the Call of the Chairman • Provides for and Encourages Training and Education for Peace Officers • Adopts Regulations Establishing Minimum Standards for Certification, Desertification, Recruitment, Selection, and Training of Peace Officers

The Commission (continued) Ø Establish Minimum Training Requirements For: • • • Basic Training in Categories I, III Reserve Officers Continuing Education Instructor Qualifications Certification of Courses Professional Development

The Commission (continued) Ø Present Courses of Basic and Continuing Education to Category I, III Ø Audit Agencies to Determine If Complying With POST Standards Ø Establish Training and Certification Requirements for Investigation of Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children Ø Enter Into Inter-local Agreements With Tribes Concerning Training and Certification Requirements

POST Basic Training Bureau Ø Conducts Two Sixteen Week Academies Per Year ØDevelops and Implements New Academy Training Curriculum and Programs

The POST Academy Ø 700 Hours of Training Ø Category I 16 Weeks in Length Ø Category II 10 Weeks in Length Ø 50 Students Per Year Ø Evaluations 4. 34 on a 5 Point Scale Overall Ø Over 28, 000 Cadet Hours Ø Only residential Academy in the State Ø Experiential/Scenario based training

Assist Agencies in Training Ø Use of Force Trainer Ø Field Sobriety Testing Ø Law Enforcement Explorers Ø PPFT Administrator Course Ø Arrest & Control Instructors Course

Professional Standards Bureau PRIMARY FUNCTION Ø Serve As Administrative and Logistical Support for the Nine POST Commission Positions. Ø Certify and Monitor Basic and Continuing Education Training for Quality and Compliance. Ø Maintain a Nationwide Liaison with Federal, State, and Local Criminal Justice Agencies. Ø Provide Technical Information for the Public on POST Qualification, Certification and Training Issues.

Professional Standards Bureau AUDITS AND COMPLIANCE SECTION Ø Conducts Automated Statewide Tracking and On. Site Verification Audits of Individual and Agency Mandated Training. Ø Monitors POST Certified Continuing Education Courses and 50 POST Certified Basic Training Academies for Compliance with NAC. Ø Conducts Research and Develops Specialized Courses. Ø Conducts discrepancy investigations for decertification of peace officers.

Professional Standards Bureau RECORDS AND CERTIFICATION SECTION Ø Verifies Officer Qualifications for All Levels of Peace Officer Certification From Nevada and Other States Nationwide. Ø Administers Certification Examinations Statewide. Ø Responsible for Issuance of 7 Levels of POST Certification and Continuing Education Courses. Ø Tracks Intra-State Officer Portability. Ø Provides Statistical Analysis of POST Operational Performance.

Professional Development Bureau Ø Develop Curriculum for Supervisor, Management and Executive Courses of Instruction. Ø Provide Professional Instruction for Instructor Development and Policy Formulation. Ø Verify Curriculum and Test Validity.

Accomplishments* Ø Ø Ø Ø Ø 505 Basic Training Graduates Basic Training Provided to 74 Criminal Justice Agencies Certified 13, 734 Peace Officers Conducted 40, 138 hours of Continuing Education Training Facilitated 231, 244 hours of training for agencies Completed 38, 176 Personnel Action Reports Conducted 223 Agency Audits Conducted 47 Academy Audits Conducted 45 Commission Meetings Conducted 6 In-Lieu’s with 81 Graduates (Effective 06/07) *Since 1999 when we became a stand alone agency as of June 30, 2009

Still to Do Ø Build the Emergency Vehicle Operation Course Ø Add a Training Officer II to Professional Development Bureau/Basic Training

IADLEST Ø An International Association and National forum for POST entities and Statewide Training Academies. Ø Nonprofit, Tax-Exempt Organization comprised of law enforcement Training Managers and Leaders. Ø The Mission is to reach and share Information, Ideas, and Innovations that assist in establishing effective and defensible standards for employment and training of Law Enforcement Officers.

IADLEST Model Minimum Standards Ø Post Administration • Concepts, Mission, and Organization - Each State shall have an organization to set and update the standards for the hiring, training, ethical conduct and retention of police officers. - Law enforcement officers engage in the difficult, important and complex business of helping to regulate human behavior, and their intellectual armament and ethical standards must be no less than their physical prowess. - Departments are in need of upgraded recruiting efforts, higher minimum standards, better selection procedures and more training.

IADLEST Model Minimum Standards Ø Post Administration (continued) • Selection Standards - Commission should have the authority to set selection standards. • Education & Training Standards - Commission should have the authority and responsibility to establish minimum educational and training standards for pre -service, in-service and specialized training programs for law enforcement and corrections personnel. • Licensing or Certification - Commission should have the authority and responsibility to act as the certification or licensing authority for sworn personnel who perform the duties of law enforcement and corrections officers.

IADLEST Model Minimum Standards Ø Post Administration (continued) • Decertification or License Revocation - Commission should have the authority and responsibility to decertify or suspend or revoke the licenses of sworn personnel who perform the duties of law enforcement and corrections officers. • Conducting Research - Commission should have the authority and responsibility to conduct and stimulate research. • Compliance Enforcement - Commission should have the authority, responsibility and resources to make inspections to assure that its standards are being adhered to.

IADLEST Model Minimum Standards Ø Post Administration (continued) • Financial Assistance - Commission should have the authority, responsibility and resources to provide financial aid to send their officers to training programs. • Representation on the Commission - Commission should be representatives of local and county law enforcement and correctional agencies. • Independent Agency - Commission should be a separate state agency.

IADLEST Model Minimum Standards Ø Commission – How Constituted & Operated • Terms of Commissioners - Members of the commission should be appointed for staggered terms. - Certain members should serve by virtue of their office. • Executive Direction - Day-to-day operations of the commission should be under the control of an executive director. • Qualifications of Director - Minimum qualifications for the executive director should include a baccalaureate or graduate degree, considerable experience in the field of law enforcement or corrections.

IADLEST Model Minimum Standards Ø Commission – How Constituted & Operated (continued) • Funding Source - Commission’s operations, including subsidizing the costs of statewide training programs, should be paid out of a dedicated, nonlapsing revenue source independent of the state’s general fund, such as a penalty assessment fund. • Meetings - Commission to meet at least quarterly. - Sufficient full-time staff to carry out its mandated duties. - Maintain appropriate professional certifications.

IADLEST Model Minimum Standards Ø Commission – How Constituted & Operated (continued) • Subsidies - State should provide the commission with sufficient funds to enable it to reimburse or subsidize every law enforcement and corrections agency 100 percent of the salary. - The cost of training programs • Reciprocity - Commission should recognize the licensing or certification standards of other states which maintain and enforce equivalent standards.

IADLEST Model Minimum Standards Ø Peace Officer Selection Commission should prescribe minimum statewide standards that must be complied with by hiring authorities who employ law enforcement and corrections officers. • Drug Screening - Commission should require each candidate for an entry level or lateral entry sworn position, to submit to testing to determine if he or she is currently using an illegal controlled dangerous substance. • Background Investigation - Commission should require each candidate for an entry level or lateral entry law enforcement or corrections officer position to submit to a thorough background investigation.

IADLEST Model Minimum Standards Ø Peace Officer Selection (continued) • Fingerprint Check - Commission should require a state and national criminal history check, including fingerprinting. • Age Requirements - Commission should set a minimum age requirement for employment. • Oral Interviews - Commission should require all candidates to be given a personal interview by representatives of the hiring authority to evaluate job -related behaviors. • Citizenship - Commission should require all sworn police and corrections officers to be U. S. citizens.

IADLEST Model Minimum Standards Ø Peace Officer Selection (continued) • Driver’s License - Commission should require a driver history record that indicates that a candidate is a safe driver who has adequate respect for the traffic laws. - Has a valid motor vehicle driver’s license. • Medical Qualifications - Once employment has been issued, commission regulation should require the hiring agency to provide a job-related pass/fail medical examination. - Mandate that they are medically fit to complete any necessary training and perform the duties of a police or corrections officer.

IADLEST Model Minimum Standards Ø Peace Officer Selection (continued) • Education - Commission should require at a minimum a high school diploma. • Physical Fitness Assessment - A valid, job-related physical fitness or agility test based on data obtained from a written job description validated by a job task analysis, should be required on a pass/fail basis. • Psychological Screening - A psychological screening to all applicants for sworn police or corrections officer positions.

IADLEST Model Minimum Standards Ø Interstate Training Reciprocity Commission should publish their requirements for reciprocity. • Decertification - Rules should prescribe the charging, hearings, and appeal process for decertification of an officer for infractions of laws, rules, or regulations.

IADLEST Model Minimum Standards Ø Recruit Basic Training Commission should establish minimum standards for the accreditation, administration, and delivery of basic training programs. • Core Competencies - Minimum curriculum requirements for basic training programs should identify a set of core competencies required for satisfactory performance of entry level tasks. • Medical Examination - Students, as a condition of admission to basic programs, should be required to submit to a medical examination by a licensed physician.

IADLEST Model Minimum Standards Ø Recruit Basic Training (continued) • Training Course Records - Commission should have standards for documentation of curriculum and the keeping of historical records for a period of at least twenty years for each basic training class to include lesson plans, copies of audiovisual aids, tests and examinations, attendance records, student and instructor evaluations, course schedules, and instructor resumes. • Scope - Written policies should describe the rules of the institution.

IADLEST Model Minimum Standards Ø Recruit Basic Training (continued) • Rules - Written policies should describe the rules of the institution as they apply to the students. • Grading - Student grading policies should be established. • Attendance - Percentage of time is allowed for excused absences. • Tests - Methods of developing test questions conforming to the performance objectives.

IADLEST Model Minimum Standards Ø Recruit Basic Training (continued) • Curriculum - Commission should establish minimum curriculum requirements for the basic course. • Graduation - Diplomas or notices of successful completion of basic courses should be awarded. • Hiring - Employment of staff hiring process designed to insure adequate education, experience, ethical standards and medical condition. - Guest lecturers controlled in a manner assures their integrity and qualifications to teach.

IADLEST Model Minimum Standards Ø In-Service Training Commission mandated annual in-service law enforcement training for sworn or commissioned law enforcement officers following basic certification. • Statutory Authority - State legislature provide its commission with the statutory authority to mandate continuing education requirements.

IADLEST Model Minimum Standards Ø Training and Instructor Standards • Task Analysis Committee - State commission should utilize a committee to assist with job task analysis. • Core Curriculum - Develop a minimum standard basic training based upon results of the job task analysis. • Unit Goals - Basic training “core curriculum” should contain a goal for each unit of instruction and performance objectives. - Measured by demonstrated performance (written or practical) examinations.

IADLEST Model Minimum Standards Ø Training and Instructor Standards (continued) • Testing - Testing should be valid and reliable. • Skills Training - Critical skills areas (vehicle stops, use of deadly force, evidence collection and preservation, etc. ) should be tested through the use of graded practical exercises. • Field Training - Commission should establish a field training officers’ program.

IADLEST Model Minimum Standards Ø Training and Instructor Standards (continued) • Final Examination - To determine how much knowledge was gained during the basic course. • Instructor Training - Commission should establish an instructor training program for instructors involved in the “basic core” curriculum. • Standardized Lesson Plan Format - Commission should develop a standardized format for lesson plans.

IADLEST Model Minimum Standards Ø Training and Instructor Standards (continued) • Revocation of Certification - Commission should have the authority to revoke the certification of instructors. • Annual Instructor Evaluation - Commission should conduct evaluations of instructors on a routine basis.

IADLEST Model Minimum Standards Ø Training and Instructor Standards (continued) • Instruction & Curriculum Management - Curricula should be carefully documented, validated and updated. • Staff Instructors - Staff instructors should be graduates of a recognized college or university with a degree in the appropriate field, or have at least a high school education with a documented background and experience to equate in ratio to years of college or university study. Physical Fitness - Instructors should be physically fit.

IADLEST Model Minimum Standards Ø Training and Instructor Standards (continued) • Communications - Ability to communicate with students in a supportive manner. - Able to render objective judgments. • Motivation - Instruct in a manner that motivates students to learn. • Research Skills - Instructors should be able to research and write training materials.

IADLEST Model Minimum Standards Ø Professional Conduct - Commission should have standards for professional conduct of law enforcement and corrections officers by which the certification may be retained by persons holding it. - Denial of certification to unqualified applicants. - Administrative sanctions of officers violating professional standards. - Authority of a state to grant certification or licensure to persons performing an occupation or profession, also implies that the state may refuse to license, or revoke state certification.

IADLEST Model Minimum Standards Ø Professional Conduct (continued) • Certification - Commission should establish procedures and regulate, monitor and certify that persons employed as law enforcement and corrections officers have met the minimum standards for employment, training, and retention. • Ongoing Compliance - Commission should be authorized to monitor and enforce ongoing compliance with criteria for the retention of certified or licensed law enforcement or corrections officers.

IADLEST Model Minimum Standards Ø Professional Conduct (continued) • Reporting Misconduct - Commission regulations should mandate that employing agencies notify the commission when an officer leaves employment, whether terminated, laid off, resigned, or retired. - The facts and circumstances leading to the separation should be required to be disclosed where officer misconduct would give rise to possible sanction by the commission.

IADLEST Model Minimum Standards Ø Professional Conduct (continued) • Grounds for Action - A set of uniform professional standards applicable to all officers certified by the commission should be established and published (NACs). - Commission should have the authority to sanction misconduct including any act or conduct which raises substantial doubts about the officer’s honesty, fairness, or respect for the rights of others, regardless of whether the misconduct constitutes or is prosecuted as a crime, including but not limited to a plea of guilty.

IADLEST Model Minimum Standards Ø Professional Conduct (continued) • Possible Sanctions - Suspension or revocation may include remedial retraining, or formal reprimand or censure. • National Repository - Recommend the establishment of a national repository of information regarding decertified officers - Each state commission contribute toward this repository. • Recertification - Commission should adopt a process whereby law enforcement and corrections officers whose commission certificates or licenses have lapsed or been suspended, revoked or decertified, may apply to have them restored, reinstated or re-issued.

NEVADA COMMISSION ON PEACE OFFICERS’ STANDARDS AND TRAINING (POST) Ø Visit Nevada POST Website at http: //www. post. state. nv. us • • NAC – Nevada Administrative Codes NRS – Nevada Revised Statutes Cadet Handbook Link to IADLEST website