During the June 2021 Commission meeting, the Commission discussed the importance of providing academy students with a history of US law enforcement in order to better understand and appreciate contemporary issues.

The Commission was directed to conduct a review of the current curriculum in the Basic Course regarding the history of law enforcement and to provide information on possibly creating a standardized module on the history of law enforcement in the United States, including any fiscal impacts. 

POST staff conducted a review of the current curriculum that is required in the Basic Course and solicited information from presenters via an online questionnaire. The focus of the questionnaire was to determine how the curriculum is being presented to the academy recruits, identify any additional content that presenters currently instruct on the history of law enforcement, and identify any additional content that they believe should be required. The questionnaire also provided an opportunity for presenters to offer input on the proposed development of a comprehensive mandatory curriculum on the history of policing.

The history of law enforcement is currently covered in multiple learning domains throughout the Basic Course(s).

Learning Domain 00: Becoming an Exemplary Peace Officer is designed as an additional resource for use in the Basic Courses. It is intended to help the new recruit transition into academy life and begin a career in law enforcement. "The Policing Mission" is covered in this learning domain and presents the "History of Policing" beginning with Sir Robert Peel's Nine Principles of Policing and the establishment of the first police force in 1829 in London, England. These lead into the discussion on the role of peace officers and the "Four Elements of the Modern Policing Mission."

Learning Domain 1: Leadership, Professionalism, and Ethics presents the need for students to understand that peace officers are expected to be leaders in the community and within their agencies. There is a required learning activity that requires the students to discuss universal components of leadership with their instructor, including the obligation to learn about the community they will be serving after graduating the academy through ongoing formal and informal training. This includes, but is not limited to, developing cultural awareness of their community members, and engaging in opportunities to learn about the community's cultural history and faith-based programs.

In Learning Domain 3: Principled Policing in the Community students are taught the concepts of principled policing and learn about the impact of historical and current events that affect community perspectives. Students discuss the impact of the racialized legacy of policing on present-day policing practices and policy, and how the police were historically required to enforce laws that suppressed civil rights and disempowered people. Historical examples include the Jim Crow laws, segregation, voting, and red lining.  

They are also taught about the role of implicit bias in decision making and how peace officers may be able to improve their interactions with diverse populations through awareness of the biases that exist in all human beings. The students discuss with their instructor how biases develop from various sources, including historical and current events. The students also discuss the four tenets of procedural justice and the impact on community partnership and perceptions of legitimacy.

In Learning Domain 42: Cultural Diversity students are instructed on and discuss the history of California's cultural and ethnic diversity. Students learn about landmark events in the evolution of civil and human rights and the impact of racial profiling. Landmark events that are identified include the displacement of Native Americans with the rationalization by prejudicial attitudes of colonization, the Civil War and the abolition of slavery, Women's Suffrage and their right to vote, and the internment of American citizens of Japanese descent during World War II. Regarding the Civil Rights movement, students learn how a community's experience, history, and heritage can affect how it views law enforcement today.  

In the block entitled "Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity," it includes important moments in history related to sexual orientation and gender identity minorities and law enforcement. This block of instruction includes discussion on the Stonewall Riots in 1969, the establishment of the Matthew Shepherd and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, the Transgender Day of Remembrance established on November 20, 1999, and the shooting at the Pulse night club in Orlando, Florida in 2016. This chapter also provides discussion on Federal criminal statutes that are intended to guarantee individual federally protected civil rights and State civil statutes, such as Civil Code Section 51.7 known as the Ralph Civil Rights Act and Civil Code Section 52.1 known as the Bane Civil Rights Act.  

Staff was asked to report on the cost to update the Training and Testing Specifications and Learning Domains associated with this agenda item. The projected cost would be approximately $13,500 based on previous similar workshops. This cost includes the travel expenses for subject matter experts, multi-day venue rental, and POST staff travel.