Peace officers: education and hiring grants.

(1) Existing law requires the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training to establish and award certain certificates for peace officers to foster the education and experience necessary to perform general police service duties, as specified. Existing law requires the office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to develop a modern policing degree program, and requires the chancellor's office to submit a report on recommendations to the Legislature outlining a plan to implement that program, as specified. Existing law requires the commission to approve and adopt the education criteria for peace officers, based on the recommendations in the report, as specified. This bill, subject to an appropriation, would establish the Law Enforcement Officer Grant Program under the administration of the Student Aid Commission to provide grants of up to $6,000 per year to individuals enrolled in a modern policing degree program at a California community college who commit to work for 4 years as a peace officer at a law enforcement agency, as specified. The bill would require grant recipients to agree to repay the grant to the state if certain conditions for the grant are not met, except as specified. The bill would require, subject to an appropriation, the chancellor's office to develop, in consultation with specified entities, materials to be distributed to counselors' offices in schools serving grades 9 to 12, inclusive. The bill would require those materials to inform high school students about the existence of the modern policing degree program and the grant program described above, among other things. The bill would require the chancellor's office to particularly target the materials for students of historically underserved and disadvantaged communities with barriers to higher education access. (2) Existing law provides for the training and certification of local peace officers, including police and sheriff deputies. Existing law requires criminal justice and delinquency prevention planning districts to be established for the purpose of coordinating local criminal justice activities and planning for the use of state and federal action funds made available through any grant programs. This bill would require, commencing January 1, 2026, and subject to appropriation by the Legislature, the Board of State and Community Corrections to award grants to local law enforcement agencies that are significantly understaffed in order for the agency to provide hiring bonuses for peace officers employed by that agency. The bill would require a peace officer receiving these funds to agree to work for that agency for at least four years, except as specified. The bill would authorize the board to establish additional guidelines for the allocation of these hiring bonuses.