Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Training Curriculum topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
POST adds 'Active Shooter' learning domain to basic course; commissioners approve 16‑hour module
Summary
The commission approved a new Learning Domain 44 (active shooter/active assailant) for the basic academy and modules, adding scenario‑based required learning activities and emphasizing solo‑officer and team movement; staff said the domain is training‑focused and not a new firing‑rifle mandate.
The Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training voted to add a new basic‑course learning domain, Learning Domain 44, titled “Active Shooter/Active Assailant,” after staff presented pilot results and instructor feedback from academies across the state.
POST staff said the learning domain was piloted at several academies and validated by instructors and students. The approved domain contains required learning activities designed to build decision‑making and movement skills — solo officer movement, team movement, formations and bounding/overwatch — so officers can determine when to use rapid‑response tactics versus slower containment and systematic searches.
LEC Brandon Kiley told commissioners the domain is intended to be introduced toward the end of an academy so students have prior exposure to patrol techniques and crimes‑in‑progress material. The course specification lists 16 hours for the regular basic course and Module 1 and six hours for Module 2. POST staff emphasized the domain focuses on tactical movement and decision‑making; it does not mandate a particular weapons platform or require POST‑designated firearms instructors for presentation.
“Students need to develop the ability to read the landscape and decide whether a direct threat response is the appropriate step,” Kiley said. He added that the pilot included 318 returned student questionnaires that supported the domain’s minimum content.
Commissioners asked whether the course would require a 10‑70 firearms instructor for rifle training and whether the domain will be tested. Staff said rifle employment and the decision to use long guns is left to presenter resources and agency sponsorship; the learning domain includes movement and tactics but the pilot designers did not adopt a formal testing component because the required learning activities were designed to permit instructor coaching and corrective feedback rather than a pass‑fail exam.
The commission approved the revised training and testing specifications by roll call (13 yes votes). POST staff said they also briefed the Basic Course Consortium to help other academies adopt the domain. The newly adopted domain will require academies to plan scheduling and resource needs so that students can complete the additional hours without reducing coverage of other required content.
Why it matters: The change reflects a statewide effort to align tactics training with contemporary threats while balancing resources and academic assessment. Several commissioners urged POST to consider adding graded scenario work over time, but staff said resource disparities across presenters and public‑safety budgets make a universal, graded scenario mandate difficult to implement immediately.
