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POST reports 130 revocations and growing caseload since SB2 implementation; committee hears disciplinary statistics
Summary
Certification staff told the advisory committee that since January 2022 (implementation of SB 2) POST has revoked 130 certifications tied to felony convictions, recorded thousands of misconduct reports, and was processing a large open caseload; staff emphasized priority triage of cases.
Certification and professional conduct staff reported statewide certification and disciplinary statistics on June 3, including revocations tied to new statutory standards and a large volume of misconduct reports received since SB 2’s implementation.
Lede: Michelle Wyler, Certification Bureau chief, reported that POST had revoked 130 peace‑officer certifications under Government Code section 1029 (felony convictions identified after Jan. 1, 2022) and that the bureau had closed more than 20,000 cases while working through an overall inventory of investigations arising from agency referrals.
Nut graf: The briefing summarized counts of separations, temporary suspensions and revocations, demographic breakdowns, and case outcomes; advisory members raised questions about case volumes, triage, and whether education correlates with misconduct.
Key facts and numbers presented - As of May 15 (presentation basis), POST reported ~82,161 full‑time peace officers in California and roughly 3,000 separations year‑to‑date; 1,550 basic certificates issued, 2,729 appointments approved, and 2,034 proofs of eligibility issued. - Certification actions year‑to‑date included 37 immediate temporary suspensions, 18 removals, 21 voluntary surrenders, and 18 revocations; 12 individuals were deemed ineligible under Gov. Code 1029 (pre‑SP2 convictions). - Since SB 2’s implementation, POST reported 130 revocations related to convictions identified under Government Code §1029 and 23 disqualification determinations; approximately 110‑plus revocations were highlighted. - Disciplinary data: POST reported receiving more than 33,000 agency misconduct reports overall, with top allegation categories reported as physical abuse, demonstrating bias, and abuse of power. Of closed priority‑one (serious) cases, about 51% were determined to be not serious misconduct, 36% could not meet the clear‑and‑convincing standard, and 13% were non‑actionable due to timing.
Discussion highlights - Committee members asked whether higher education correlates with lower misconduct; POST staff said preliminary, non‑scientific review does not show a clear correlation and that data quality complicates analysis (education data are reported only when an officer applies for intermediate/advanced certificates and may be incomplete). - Advisory members and staff discussed resource triage: POST staff said a subset (~1,000) of pending matters warranted priority investigative attention; a larger volume of lower‑priority complaints has been closed after abbreviated reviews to allow focus on more meritorious investigations.
Process notes and next steps - POST staff said many cases are closed for resource reasons or because they do not rise to SB 2 serious‑misconduct categories; staff also noted surrenders sometimes occur when officers are informed that a notice of investigation or potential action is underway. - POST staff and advisory members discussed comparisons to other licensed professions and said more years of data (five to seven years) would help reveal trends.
Ending: Advisory members encouraged POST to continue refining data, improve triage, and provide additional breakdowns (for example, distinguishing academy‑earned college credits from voluntary degrees) as staff prepare public statistics and future briefings.
