This is a report on the purchase of new Force Option Virtual Reality Simulators and the development of the Use of Force Simulator Course.  The Use of Force Guidelines are in the beginning stages and will be completed by the Management Counseling and Projects Bureau.

On September 12, 2019, Governor Newsom signed into law Senate Bill 230, enacting Penal Code section 13519.10, which mandated the Commission to (A) implement a course or courses of instruction for the regular and periodic training of law enforcement officers in the use of force and (B) develop uniform, minimum guidelines for adoption and promulgation by California law enforcement agencies for use of force.

SB 230 further mandates that, "The guidelines and course of instruction shall stress that the use of force by law enforcement personnel is of important concern to the community and law enforcement, and that law enforcement should safeguard life, dignity, and liberty of all persons, without prejudice to anyone. These guidelines shall be a resource for each agency executive to use in the creation of a use of force policy that the agency is encouraged to adopt and promulgate, and that reflects the needs of the agency, the jurisdiction it serves, and the law."

POST is in the process of purchasing Force Option Virtual Reality Simulators with the one time $5M allotment for equipment to assist in providing law enforcement training mandated by Senate Bill 230.

In October 2019, POST hosted a De-escalation Summit comprised of subject matter experts (SMEs) in law enforcement, academia, and other essential stakeholder groups, to develop a standardized best-practice de-escalation publication of policies and training information. The publication is due to be completed by June 2020. After completion of the publication, POST will convene a Use of Force Guidelines workshop, again, comprised of SMEs to develop uniform minimum guidelines for adoption and promulgation by California law enforcement agencies. The guidelines will be completed by July 2020 with required policy implementation by California law enforcement agencies on January 1, 2021.

In January 2020, POST convened a 3-day workshop comprised of SMEs from law enforcement agencies, police academies, and members of the public to develop training content as prescribed by the law. The course will leverage Force Option Virtual Reality Simulators to more effectively provide “use of force scenario training including simulations of low-frequency, high-risk situations and calls for service, shoot-or-don’t-shoot situations, and real-time force option decision-making,” as specified in the law.

In February 2020, POST convened a second workshop to fully develop the training curriculum and scenario environments using SMEs from the initial workshop. 

POST is currently working with CSU Long Beach (CSULB) to develop a Train-the-Trainer course which will then be taught to the identified presenters throughout the State of California. 

This report is submitted for information only. No action is required by the Commission.