Commission on Peace Officers Standards and Training: assessment of training requirements.

Under existing law, the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training is responsible for developing and implementing programs to increase the effectiveness of law enforcement. The commission is required to adopt rules establishing minimum standards relating to physical, mental, and moral fitness governing the recruitment of specified peace officers. This bill would require the commission to perform specified duties, including, among other things, partnering with academic researchers to conduct an assessment of existing officer training requirements and determining how well the existing officer training requirements are working for officers in the field. The bill would require the commission to report its findings to the Legislature by January 1, 2026. This bill would require the commission to establish a permanent academic review board to, among other things, regularly review and update the commission's training standards and curriculum to ensure alignment with the latest scientific research. The existing California Public Records Act requires state and local agencies to make their records available for public inspection, unless an exemption from disclosure applies. This bill would require information that is collected in order to improve training and to encourage more rigorous analysis of officer training programs to be kept confidential but would allow the information to be made available to the commission or research institutions for analysis. Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest. This bill would make legislative findings to that effect.