This is an informational report on a pilot program to reimburse agency-sponsored students in the Modular Format of the Regular Basic Course.

Commission Procedure D-1-3(a) (7) describes the formats for delivering the Regular Basic Course, which includes the Standard format and Modular format.  The Standard format is delivered in a one-part instructional sequence.  The Modular format is composed of three modules: III, II, and I.  Completion of all three modules satisfies the Regular Basic Course training requirement.

Penal Code sections 13507, 13510, and 13522, specify that departments participating in the POST Program may be reimbursed from the Peace Officer Training Fund for training of their personnel in POST-certified courses.

Commission Procedure E-1-4(3) states that specified persons (Police Trainee, Police Cadet, Community Service Officer, Deputy I [non-peace officers]) may attend a certified Regular Basic Course and reimbursement shall be provided to the employing jurisdiction in accordance with the reimbursement procedures.

Commission Procedure E-4-3 describes reimbursement limitations (e.g., subsistence, commuter lunch, and travel allowances, and establishes the maximum reimbursement for the Basic Course as 16.6 weeks [664 hours]).

Commission Procedure E-4-23 defines tuition as the Commission-authorized amount charged by training institutions for trainees attending POST-certified courses.  Tuition may include fees charged to departments for driver’s training presented in the Basic Course.

POST regulation allows for a student to complete the Regular Basic Course in two different formats.  The standard format is a one time presentation in which all of the components of the basic course are offered.  This second format is a three part series of modular courses which when combined together equal the Regular Basic Course.

California has a blend of academies that offer either, and/or both the Standard or Modular formats.

The Modular format has distinct advantages, in that a student has more flexibility in the time line necessary to complete the course.  By utilizing the Modular format, a student may take one course at a time as his/her schedule allows.  This particular schedule is more conducive to accommodating the needs of self-sponsored working adults, who may not have the opportunity to take an extensive amount of time off from work in order to attend basic training.  A secondary advantage of the Modular program is that if a student fails a component of the course, the student is only required to repeat the particular Module that he/she did not successfully complete.

POST is strongly encouraging academies to use the Modular format to both increase and diversify the candidate pool, and to provide well qualified candidates to law enforcement agencies.  Several basic training presenters have been receptive to POST’s encouragement, and are considering or have moved to the intensive Modular format.

However, POST regulation regarding reimbursement is specifically designed to address agency-sponsored students (as mentioned above) in the Regular Basic Course standard format.  As a consequence, POST has been unable to reimburse agency-sponsored students who participate in the Modular Course intensive format.  This means agencies that send sponsored students to basic training are limited to using a Regular Basic Course standard format presenter.  Students and employing agencies often bypass a Modular presenter of basic training.  Further, several Modular presenters have expressed an interest in recruiting agency-sponsored students, but have been unsuccessful due to the unavailability of reimbursement to local agencies. 

Staff analyzed the impact of reimbursing local law enforcement agencies that may choose to use Modular format presenters of basic training.  The conclusion is that reimbursement of the Modular format of basic training is consistent with that which is authorized for agency-sponsored trainees attending the RBC standard format and is within the intent of existing regulation. 

Staff also assessed the potential fiscal impact of reimbursement of agency-sponsored students in the Modular format RBC, and determined that the impact would be minimal.  A review of the current presenters who offer all three Modular courses, reflects that during a 3-year period (fiscal year 2011 through 2013), 997 students successfully completed the course using the modular format.  Of that total, 32 students were appointed/hired while the course was in-progress.  This represents 3.2% of the graduates that completed all levels of a Modular presentation of the RBC.  Staff believes that many of the agencies that will seek reimbursement for basic training will be doing so in lieu of sponsoring a student who would attend the RBC Standard format, thus having a neutral fiscal impact on POST reimbursement.

As a pilot, POST has extended reimbursement to local agencies for agency-sponsored students in the Modular RBC, commensurate with Procedure E.  The reimbursement rate will be equitably divided among the three modules to reflect a distribution equaling that of the RBC standard format.

Following the pilot, staff will assess whether Commission regulation or procedure require changes.  These will be vetted with basic courses presenters and reported to the Commission for action.