How do we effectively train new law enforcement leaders?

Peace officers who are promoted to a supervisory management role (e.g., Lieutenant) must take on a new set of challenges and responsibilities. What core competencies are required to successfully prepare these individuals for their new role, and how do we ensure effective delivery of training towards those skills?

In the state of California, all peace officers promoted to a supervisory management role are required to take a 104-hour mandated Management Course within 12 months following appointment to the position (Commission Regulation 1005). The course is designed by the Commission on Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST) to prepare middle managers for their new position and covers a range of topics, including Leadership, Strategic Planning, Ethics, Media Relations, and Community-Oriented Policing.

In partnership with POST, the Possibility Lab is launching a comprehensive review of this curriculum in order to determine how well it is meeting the needs of current students, as well as how it might be updated to better prepare new peace officer managers for the challenges of the job in California today. We will then assist in the implementation of changes to the curriculum, and evaluate how those changes affect outcomes for peace officer managers, the officers they supervise, and the communities they serve.