Public Safety Officer Standards and Training Council urges budget stability, seeks permanent staff and keeps new training database

The Public Safety Officer Standards and Training Council (POST) appeared before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Section D on Jan. 17 to review its program budget, staffing and recent administrative changes since the 2023 session.

"POST is an independent, quasi‑judicial board," Timothy Allred, executive director of POST, told the committee. He described POST’s mission: to set training and certification standards for public‑safety officers, approve training, and investigate complaints that can lead to suspension or revocation of certifications.

Allred and legislative staff outlined changes to the program’s budget and staffing after POST shifted from a bureau to an administratively attached entity. Walker Hopkins, who presented budget pages to the committee, said the program’s budget figures in committee materials were revised after POST notified staff it would not pursue a $125,000 per year contested‑case counseling request (DP 1902). Hopkins said the revised biennial request is roughly $510,000 per year and that the program’s earlier displayed totals should be…