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Advisers urge caution on AB 89 implementation as community colleges and agencies seek clarity
Summary
AB 89 requires POST to adopt community college recommendations on a modern policing degree and bachelor's degree as minimum education requirements. Committee members and college representatives said the statute’s language (notably 'and' vs. 'or') remains ambiguous and urged waiting for corrected legislation before POST adopts formal requirements.
Advisers discussed AB 89 — the statute directing California Community Colleges to recommend minimum education requirements for peace officers and directing POST to adopt those recommendations — and urged the commission to await clarifying legislation before taking formal action.
Megan Paulus, legislative liaison for POST, summarized the statute’s history: the community colleges delivered a report in October 2023, which triggered a two‑year window for POST to adopt the recommendations; that window expires in fall 2025. Committee members and college representatives told the advisory committee that the report and statute are ambiguous about whether a ‘‘modern policing degree’’ must be required in addition to a bachelor’s degree (the statute’s wording uses “and”), or whether the intent was to allow either pathway (‘‘or’’).
Anthony Cordova (California Community College Chancellor’s Office) said the colleges developed a model curriculum for a modern policing degree and that the community college Academic Senate has identified course‑transfer patterns; he described a program framework of roughly 45 to 55 units with transferability considerations. Advisory members from academy programs said modular basic academies often award partial credit for academy coursework but noted many academic degree requirements (general education, certain humanities courses) are not taught in the academy and would require additional coursework.
Law‑enforcement representatives said they worry about recruiting if a bachelor’s degree plus a modern policing degree were required at hiring — particularly given current vacancies and recruitment challenges. POST staff and advisory members recommended that POST not finalize a formal adoption of the colleges’ recommendations until the statutory language is clarified and the legislature and colleges have resolved transfer and articulation details.
Ending: Advisory members recommended POST handle AB 89 cautiously: await clearer statutory direction and further work by the community colleges on articulation, veterans’ credit and affordability pathways before adopting mandatory education requirements.
