Inventory of the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training Records
Processed by Jessica Knox
California State Archives
© 2009
1020 "O" Street
Sacramento, California 95814
Phone: (916) 653-2246
Fax: (916) 653-7363
Email: ArchivesWeb@sos.ca.gov
URL: http://www.sos.ca.gov/archives/
California Secretary of State. All rights reserved.
Inventory of the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training Records
Collection number: R192
California State ArchivesOffice of the Secretary of State
Sacramento, California
- Processed by:
- Jessica Knox
- Date Completed:
- December 2009
- Encoded by:
- Jessica Knox
© 2009 California Secretary of State. All rights reserved.
Title: Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training Records
Dates: 1970-1992
Collection number: R192
Creator:
Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training
Collection Size:
7 cubic feet of textual and audiovisual records
Repository:
California State Archives
Sacramento, California
Abstract: The records of the Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission consist of seven cubic feet of textual and audiovisual
records spanning the period from 1970-1992, which reflect the activities of the Commission as it worked to raise the level
of effectiveness of state law enforcement through improved selection and training standards.
Physical location: California State Archives
Languages:
Languages represented in the collection:
English
While the majority of the records are open for research, any access restrictions are noted in the record series descriptions.
For permission to reproduce or publish, please contact the California State Archives. Permission for reproduction or publication
is given on behalf of the California State Archives as the owner of the physical items. The researcher assumes all responsibility
for possible infringement which may arise from reproduction or publication of materials from the California State Archives
collections.
[Identification of item], Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training Records, R192.[Series Number], [box and folder
number], California State Archives, Office of the Secretary of State, Sacramento, California.
Acquisition and Custodial History
The California State Archives acquired the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training Records according to state law.
In July 1959, Governor Edmund G. "Pat" Brown signed legislation creating the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training
within the California Department of Justice (Chapter 1823, Statutes of 1959). The Commission was the first such organization
in the United States, created to function as a special fund agency to develop and administer selection and training standards
for state law enforcement.
The Commission consists of peace officers from city police departments and county sheriff's offices and elected officials
from cities and counties. Charged with enhancing the professionalism of California law enforcement, the primary duties of
the Commission include assuring that sufficient resources are available to law enforcement to meet training and standards
needs; developing standards and guidelines for hiring peace officers; improving the quality and availability of training for
peace officers; and streamlining administrative procedures to reduce costs and increase the efficiency of operations at the
local and state level. The Commission also develops and certifies course curriculum and peace officer training courses, which
are provided through local community colleges, four-year colleges and universities, police academies, private trainers and
training centers.
Since its inception, programs administered by the Commission have been voluntary and incentive-based. Participating agencies
that abide by Commission rules and standards receive revenue and grants to and to cover the costs of administration and to
fund peace officer training. The Commission receives operating funds from the Peace Officer's Training Fund, which in turn
is supported by the State Penalty Assessment Fund. Therefore, the Commission is not supported by tax dollars, but by penalty
assessments on criminal and traffic fines.
The records of the Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission consist of seven cubic feet of textual and audiovisual
records spanning the period from 1970-1992, which reflect the activities of the Commission as it worked to raise the level
of effectiveness of state law enforcement through improved selection and training standards. The record group is organized
into four series: Bill Files, Correspondence, Subject Files, and Training Program Files.
The bulk of the records pertain to developing and improving training programs for California peace officers. The majority
of the legislative measures present in the Bill Files series, for example, sought increased funding for peace officer training
and proposed new programs in the areas of domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse. The Training Program Files focus
solely on training program development, and include material related to the creation of courses in narcotics investigation,
traffic accident investigation, and bailiff and civil process training. The Subject Files will also be of help to researchers
interested in peace officer training program development. For example, the Commission created the Shooting Simulator Advisory
Committee to oversee the production of a "Shoot/Don't Shoot" training simulator to test "shooting judgment," or when to hold
fire. Files regarding shooting judgment contain a wide variety of materials including videocassettes, photographs, and publications.
Also present in the collection are the records of the Center for Police Management, an organization established within the
Commission in 1973 to streamline the administrative functions of local and state law enforcement. The Center for Police Management
records are organized into three series: Bill Files, Subject Files, and Research Study Files.
The majority of the material produced by the Center for Police Management demonstrates its' role within the Commission as
a resource for effective law enforcement management strategies. Within the files are studies, research projects, correspondence
and reports used by the Center for Police Management to provide local law enforcement agencies with managerial support and
solutions to administrative problems. For example, the Subject Files contain information on a 1978 'training needs assessment'
of local governments affected by Proposition 13, which reduced funding for city and county law enforcement agencies.
Further accruals are expected.
Related Collections at the California State Archives
California Council on Criminal Justice Records
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in
the library's online public access catalog.
California. Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training
Peace officers
Police training
ID R192.001, Box 1/1-Box 3/2
Series 1 Bill Files 1975-1990
Physical Description: 42 file folders
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically by legislative session, then numerically by bill number.
Scope and Content Note
Bill files consist of analyses, correspondence, notes, reports, newspaper clippings and background material regarding state
legislation that affected issues within the scope of the Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission, as well as legislation
that affected the funding, composition and scope of the Commission. Topics include peace officer licensing, concealed firearms,
the use of stun guns, procedures for interviewing minors, and the use of electronic surveillance equipment. Also of interest
is material related to the development of peace officer training curriculum through legislation, regarding the handling instances
of domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse. For example, in response to a number of incidents in which peace officers
confused Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) with child abuse and parental negligence, SB1067 of 1989 proposed the development
of a course to train peace officers in recognizing SIDS.
1975-1976: AB2866-AB4249 (2ff) Box 1/1-Box 1/2.
1975-1976: SB1020-SB2790 (1ff) Box 1/3.
1977-1978: AB191-AB2915, ACR124-ACR160 (5ff) Box 1/4-Box 1/8.
1977-1978: SB126-SB1995 (3ff) Box 1/9-Box 1/11.
1979-1980: AB332-AB3296, ACR112 (4ff) Box 1/12-Box 1/14.
1979-1980: SB125-SB1994, SCR 25 (2ff) Box 1/15-Box 1/16.
1981-1982: AB189-AB3414 (2ff) Box 1/17-Box 1/18.
1981-1982: SB189-SB1870; SCR69 (1ff) Box 1/19.
1983-1984: AB5-AB4022, AB41X, AB41XX (3ff) Box 1/20-Box 2/1.
1983-1984: SB147-SB1536, SCR75 (2ff) Box 2/2-Box 2/3.
1985-1986: AB49-AB4062, ACR34 (4ff) Box 2/4-Box 2/7.
1985-1986: SB21-SB2463, SCR34-SCR67 (3ff) Box 2/8-Box 2/10.
1987-1988: AB100-AB4262 (4ff) Box 2/11-Box 2/14.
1987-1988: SB83-SB2868 (4ff) Box 2/15-Box 2/18.
1989-1990: AB670-AB2505, ACR58-ACR89 (1ff) Box 2/19.
1989-1990: SB166-SB1494, SCR39 (2ff) Box 3/1-Box 3/2.
ID R192.002, Box 3/3-Box 3/15
Series 2 Correspondence 1975-1986
Physical Description: 13 file folders
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically by year.
Scope and Content Note
Correspondence from POST consists of letters, memoranda, and other material related to the functions of the Commission. The
majority of the correspondence is composed of inquiries from prospective peace officers, which the Commission responded to
with information about policies and procedures in place in California governing the selection and training of peace officers.
Many prospective applicants, for example, requested information about aural and visual acuity requirements. The Commission
also responded to numerous research requests from other states regarding peace officer training programs. Other topics present
in the correspondence include the development of police academy courses and testing material, information about workshops,
conferences and meetings attended by members of the Commission, and peace officer certification.
ID R192.003, Box 3/16-Box 4/16
Series 3 Subect Files 1976-1992
Physical Description: 29 file folders
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically by subject heading.
Access Information
Access to audiovisual materials requires the production of use copies.
Scope and Content Note
Subject files typically consist of correspondence, notes, news clippings, publications, reports and background material.
General subjects include confidentiality, citizenship requirements for peace officers, domestic violence, legislation related
to law enforcement, meeting minutes, agency organizational charts and information about the Commission's history. Also of
interest are textual and audiovisual materials related to "shooting judgment" or "Shoot/Don't Shoot" training. The Commission
was greatly interested in developing a shooting simulator, to be used by police departments to train officers when to discharge
their weapons and when to hold fire. For this purpose they created the Shooting Simulator Advisory Committee, which contracted
with the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department to produce a prototype shooting judgment simulator.
Audiovisual materials have been separated to a cold-storage vault for preservation purposes and separation sheets are in the
files to alert the researcher to the existence of these items.
ID R192.004, Box 4/17-Box 4/25
Series 4 Training Program Files 1975-1987
Physical Description: 13 file folders
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically by subject heading.
Scope and Content Note
Training Program Files consist of correspondence, notes, news clippings, reports and background material related to peace
officer training program development. Many of the files pertain to the creation of specific training courses such as those
covering the
investigation of advanced traffic accidents, child abuse, and narcotics. Other courses include bailiff and civil process
training,
drug and alcohol recognition training, and instruction in juvenile procedures. This series also contains budget change proposals
and material related to the funding of community college-based police academies.
Records of the Center for Police Management 1970-1979
The Center for Police Management was established within the Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission on June 1, 1973
in order to provide organization policies, procedures and practices to effectively coordinate police activities in the State
of California. The Center for Police Management was active in researching common problems in law enforcement relating to
police management and reviewing professional literature and research projects. In addition, the Center for Police Management
also provided a resource library for law enforcement managers and responded to inquiries from law enforcement administrators.
Funded by the California Council on Criminal Justice, the Center for Police Management was initially authorized to function
for one year. Due to its success the Center for Police Management was extended until 1982.
ID R192.005, Box 5/26-Box 5/34
Series 1 Correspondence 1970-1979
Physical Description: 9 file folders
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically by year.
Correspondence from the Center for Police Management primarily consists of responses to inquiries from law enforcement administrators
and researchers interested in law enforcement policies and procedures. Also included are internal memoranda regarding the
function and responsibilities of the Center for Police Management. Topics of interest include the development of the Center
for Police Management, project priorities, funding, and problems and issues related to police management and administration.
ID R192.006, Box 6/1-Box 6/7
Series 2 Subject Files 1973-1978
Physical Description: 7 file folders
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically by subject heading.
The Subject Files span a wide variety of topics relevant to the Center for Police Management. The Center collected material
from California law enforcement organizations, such as the Association of Police Planning and Research Officers, the California
Association of Police Training Officers, and the California State Sheriff's Association. Also included are progress reports
chronicling the activities of the Center for Police Management. Of particular interest is a 'training needs assessment' of
local governments conducted in 1978 following the passage of Proposition 13. The Commission and the Center for Police Management
sought to offset funding reductions experienced by many city and county governments by providing reimbursements for law enforcement
training.
ID R192.007, Box 6/8-Box 6/13
Series 3 Research Study Files 1985-2000
Physical Description: 6 file folders
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically by subject heading.
This series consists of various studies and research projects conducted by the Commission or consultants working for the Commission,
kept by the Center for Police Management for research purposes. The majority of the studies are career oriented, including
"Career Ladder and Job Restructuring," "Physical Performance Examination for Law Enforcement Officers," and "Selection Standards
Project." Also of interest is the "Police Vehicle Accident Study," compiled by the Commission, which analyzes the factors
contributing to vehicular accidents involving peace officers.