Panel debates whether statutory training should be prescriptive or handled by POST

Speakers at the working group provided specific training figures to ground the discussion and to argue for administrative flexibility. S3 said that the basic police training program is "921 hours" and noted a minimum of "400 of field training" required before initial certification; S3 also said recertification requires 60 hours every three years with about 38 hours currently specified in statute. Those details were cited by S2 and others to argue that POST, which manages the academy structure, should have authority to adapt training to changing operational needs.

Opponents of purely administrative control expressed concern that some recertification topics matter enough to be set in statute after particular events prompt legislative response. The group did not resolve this tension but directed staff to gather examples of where statute currently prescribes recertification content and to consider whether POST satellite academies can be certified for specialized job classes.