New Hampshire Police Standards and Training outlines budget targets, statutory clarifications and new responsibilities

John Skippa, director of New Hampshire Police Standards and Training, told Finance Division II that his agency’s FY26 request meets the governor’s target allocations while the agency asks the Legislature to make several statutory clarifications.

"The mission of New Hampshire Police Standards and Training is to shape, sustain, and strengthen the competency and professionalism of New Hampshire law enforcement in service to our state," Skippa said, introducing the agency and its staff, including business manager Max Schultz and business assistant manager Jessica Nichols.

Skippa said the agency’s adjusted authorized budget for FY25 is $6,805,527. The governor’s FY26 recommended request submitted for the agency is $6,364,508, a $441,019 (0.94%) reduction from FY25 adjusted authorized, and the FY27 efficiency request is listed at $6,363,988. He told the committee those submissions comply with the governor’s target allocations of $6,368,138 for each year of the next biennium.

Why it matters: Police Standards and Training (PST) regulates certification and training for more than 4,000 certified officers in New Hampshire, runs the full‑ and part‑time police academies and the Corrections Academy, convenes disciplinary hearings that can suspend or revoke certification, and operates a 77,000‑square‑foot training facility in Concord.

New responsibilities and statutory requests PST described multiple responsibilities added since 2022 that affect staffing and program needs. Skippa listed four requested statutory or rule changes within chapter 106: a clarification in the definition of police misconduct;…