At its January 1982 meeting, the Commission directed staff to conduct a job analysis of District Attorney (DA) Investigators due to Senate Bill 201 making DA Investigators eligible for POST reimbursement. 

As a result, The Commission approved regulations mandating DA Investigator completion of a Regular Basic Course and satisfactory completion of an 80-hour Investigation and Trial Preparation course within the first year of appointment. 

The 80-hour course has been revised throughout the years to remain current with training needs.  The course was last revised in 2014.

In recent times, the following issues have surfaced with the course;

1. While the majority of newly appointed DA Investigators come from the ranks of seasoned law enforcement investigators, recruitment challenges have led to a small but increasing number of new hires with no prior investigative experience.
2. Depending on its size, DA Offices either require generalist investigators or specialized investigators with specific investigative training to handle increasingly complex caseloads.
3. The 80-hour course has been evaluated as being too long and repetitive for seasoned investigators as well as being too short and lacking sufficient depth for new investigators.

In October 2017, a group of subject matter experts reviewed the District Attorney Investigator 80 hour Investigation and Trial Preparation Course keeping the challenges in mind. The review led to a new strategy - create a course that specifically addresses the needs of a DA Investigator. Learning Domains essential to the performance of all newly-appointed DA Investigators were retained, updated, and reorganized. Elimination of outdated or criminal investigation specific information shortened the course to 40 hours. What emerged was a contemporary course more suited to a generalist population of district attorney investigators. A new title, District Attorney Investigator Transition Course, was created to more accurately reflect the course curriculum.

Additionally, at the completion of the course, DA Investigators needing specialist criminal investigative training can utilize the existing resources in the Robert Presley Institute of Criminal Investigation. 

In order to better serve and educate incoming District Attorney Investigators, the District Attorney Investigators 80 hour Investigations and Trial Preparation Course should incorporate the changes recommended by the subject matter expert review. Items that would are specifically incorporated in current Regulation are;

1. The reduction of the course from 80 hours to 40 hours
2. Assuming a new title "District Attorney Investigator Transition Course"
3. Replacing the previously tested Learning Domains with the following Learning Domains; 70, 73, 76, 78, 81, 84, 86, 88, and 94.

These changes require updates to the following POST Regulations and Procedures:

• Regulation 1015 – Course Name and Length (Attachment A)*
• Procedure D-14 – Course Name, Length, and Content (Attachment B)
• Procedure E-4-3 – Course Name and Length (Attachment C)
• Regulation 1005 – Course Name (See Attachment D)

*Should the Commission approve a related change to Reimbursement, that particular change will supersede the change in this item.