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POST warns of tighter finances, rising training costs and staffing pressures; working group to review delivery of basic training
Summary
Peace Officer Standards and Training officials told the Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee dedicated‑fund revenue has been volatile, collections from former trainees have risen, and POST seeks a technical record specialist plus vehicle and IT replacements while a working group prepares a plan to review how basic training is delivered.
Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) leaders told the Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee on Feb. 12 that revenue shortfalls and inflation‑driven cost increases prompted recent one‑time general fund support and that POST is seeking modest staffing and replacement items while a council working group reviews the future delivery of basic training.
Noah Peterson, a Legislative Services analyst, summarized POST's revenue mix and recent transfers. He said POST's revenue sources include court fines, fingerprinting and facility fees, a liquor revenue transfer established by House Bill 469 (2022), and collections from former trainees who leave during a required probationary period. Brad Johnson, POST administrator, said the agency has increased collections by sending amounts owed under two‑year training agreements to collection agencies; he said that change is the primary reason miscellaneous revenue has risen.
"For example, the patrol academy, I think right now we're at about $12,000, as an apportion cost to attend that training," Johnson said, describing a typical cost basis the state incurs to train a new patrol officer.
POST requested a 0.33 FTP technical record specialist ($20,800) to address growing certification processing times, and one‑time replacement requests including vehicles and IT equipment (a 15‑passenger van acquired in 2001 and IT replacements recommended by OITS). Johnson said certification turnaround time for peak periods has grown from 2–4 weeks to as long as 3–6 months, and converting a part‑time records role to full time would target that backlog.
Johnson described POST's broader responsibilities — setting and enforcing certification standards across nine law‑enforcement disciplines, accrediting training programs and operating the Meridian academy — and said the Post Council created a working group to evaluate how basic training should be delivered in the future. "The goal that we're looking, that we're working toward is within the next year," Johnson said about the working group's timeline for a plan.
Committee members asked about enrollment trends, the effect of COVID, the relationship between county/college‑based academies and POST, and whether localities should contribute more to training costs. Johnson said POST trains officers supplied by agencies and colleges and cannot directly recruit or hire officers; he also said month‑to‑month dedicated fund revenues have recently been higher than projected, which staff called encouraging but not a full resolution of funding pressures.
The committee did not take votes on POST's requests during the hearing; staff offered to provide additional breakout data on tuition, program costs and local training activity to committee members.
