Missourians can have a say about police training standards through a process of surveys, email comments and public listening sessions.

The Missouri Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission and the Department of Public Safety are reviewing responses to surveys of law enforcement and the public about law enforcement training and discipline in Missouri.

After graduating with 600 hours of training at the police academy, current training standards for the mandatory peace officers license are 24 hours of continuing law enforcement education each year, which includes:

• 2 hours in Legal Studies;
• 2 hours in Technical Studies;
• 2 hours in Interpersonal Perspectives;
• 2 hours of Skill Development involving firearms;
• 16 hours of electives in any of the preceding core curriculum areas;
• and 1 hour of racial profiling awareness training.

The POST Commission is made up of law enforcement officers, a citizen representative, and a training expert from around the state. See members.

Commissioners invite the public to a listening session Monday. Aug. 31 at 2 p.m. Central (Details below)

Mike O’Connell, DPS spokesman said public meetings were changed to online surveys and listening sessions because of COVID-19 safety precautions. Monday, the public can listen, ask questions and comment in as POST commissioners discuss the public response to 1,500 surveys about law enforcement training and the disciplinary process in Missouri.

He says the public safety agency is

“So the idea is to look at what the public is saying about the areas of de-escalation, racial profiling, the use of force, law enforcement agencies reaching out and engaging with communities. The idea was to get the comments and the ideas from the public and officers before the commission even begins the discussion,” O’Connell told Missourinet.

The POST commission does not control or regulate individual police departments, so the discussion is about training and the DPS discipline process.

Comments can also be submitted to [email protected]

Aug. 31 – Public Survey Listening Session at 2 p.m.

Line 1 Phone number: 650-479-3207

Access code: 133 488 8026

Web address for attendees: https://stateofmo.webex.com/stateofmo/onstage/g.php?MTID=ee00ea5ce430b3e8f067d32dfba8133c5

Event password: rKQHgSaU242

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Line 2 Phone number: 650-479-3207

Access code: 133 924 4860

Web address for attendees: https://stateofmo.webex.com/stateofmo/onstage/g.php?MTID=efd219b7daa5e905424feb43f06f81d9c

Event password: SQnXFMqQ834