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POST asks for staffing and replacement items as training demand, tuition collections and delivery questions rise
Summary
Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) presented FY2026 requests for a technical records specialist and equipment replacements, described rising collections from training repayment agreements, and said a working group will propose a multi‑year plan for how basic training is delivered statewide.
The Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) division briefed the Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee on Feb. 12 on its FY2026 budget request and operational pressures, including a rise in revenue from collection of tuition repayment agreements and concerns about how basic training is delivered across the state.
Noah Peterson opened the presentation with an overview of POST’s funds and revenue sources. He explained that one category of revenue comes from fees tied to court fines and other sources, and he described the misdemeanor probation training fund established to support training for misdemeanor probation officers. He also noted that recent liquor revenue transfers (1.5% of annual liquor transfers established by 2022 legislation) began contributing to the POST fund in FY2023.
Brad Johnson, POST administrator, described a request to convert a current part‑time technical records specialist into 0.33 additional FTP (net) with $20,800 in personnel funding to shorten certification turnaround times that have grown to three to six months at peak. Johnson said the division wants to reduce processing time for officer certification, which he said had increased from two to four weeks a few years ago to months during peaks in demand.
On collections, Johnson said POST has been more effective recently in collecting training repayment agreements from officers who leave their certified positions within the two‑year agreement window; these repayments are recorded as miscellaneous revenue. “We went to a collection agency,” Johnson said, and that change materially increased recovered funds, he testified. Representative Miller and Senator Cook asked for the numeric tuition amounts; Johnson said the patrol academy tuition is about $12,000 and that POST will provide a program‑by‑program breakdown to the committee.
POST also requested replacement vehicles and IT equipment (a 15‑passenger van and a half‑ton pickup, laptops, desktops and monitors) and described the agency’s long‑term decline in dedicated revenue that prompted several one‑time general fund transfers in recent years to bridge shortfalls. Johnson said month‑to‑month dedicated revenue has improved in the past six months but cautioned the division must monitor spending closely.
The post council has created a working group to evaluate the statewide delivery of basic training — including college programs and agency‑run academies — and the working group aims to return recommendations to the legislature within about a year. Johnson said the council’s goal is to produce a strategic plan for how basic training is provided across Idaho.
No formal votes were recorded on POST items during the hearing; staff and the administrator offered to supply detailed tuition schedules and other follow‑up information.
