Training provider asks for state funds to teach new arrest and sobriety mandates for jail staff

A training organization identified as “Gypsstik” briefed the Senate appropriations panel on amended-year funding requests to hire instructors and cover rent as the agency implements curriculum changes following recent state legislation.

The presenter said Senate Bill 37 expanded arrest powers for jail officers and that jail training programs need additional constitutional instruction — including on Fourth Amendment considerations — because current jail coursework focuses more heavily on Eighth and Fourteenth Amendment topics. The provider asked for funding to hire two instructors who would travel statewide to train jail staff on new arrest-related material.

The presenter also described a separate request for two instructor positions to teach standardized field‑sobriety tests and speed-detection-device training, which the agency said was costly to provide. The training organization explained that federal grant partners originally expected to cover that expense, but after the General Assembly passed a mandate the federal partner said it could not fund a state-mandated program, so the training must be provided through state funds.

Other items discussed included a reduced rent allocation after the closure of a leased academy facility and the need to find a long-term training site in the northern part of the state; the presenter thanked Alpharetta Police Department for temporary use of training space.

Committee members asked about starting pay and the scope of instructor duties; the presenter said the hires would be post-certified instructors who travel across the state and that several positions in the request include supervisory-level instructors who would manage and mentor others.

Ending: Committee members expressed concern about duplication of training among state agencies and asked to discuss how to coordinate training to avoid redundancy and liability for record-keeping of who provided what training.