TWRA to pursue POST compliance; commission requires transition school and accepts current medical/psych records for now

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency told the POST Commission on Feb. 20 that it seeks to align its law enforcement cadre with POST standards and asked for guidance on how to make 75 recently graduated game‑warden officers “post compliant.” TWRA officials said they want to keep existing officers in service while meeting POST expectations.

TWRA representatives (who listed Brandon Ware, general counsel Corey Grimes, state training coordinator Dustin Deaton and Lieutenant Colonel Matt Majors among staff present) asked the commission to accept their existing medical and psychological documentation and require transition school and training to bridge the academy gap. "If approved, we are seeking direction on how to handle existing officers' psychological and medical forms and also how to transition our most recent 75 officers," a TWRA representative told the commission.

Commissioners debated possible grandfathering, administrative burden and cost. Several members warned that blanket grandfathering could create gaps in consistent standards; staff noted that requiring transition school would make TWRA officers compliant without imposing immediate statewide paperwork costs. The commission voted to accept TWRA's current medical and psychological forms for the purpose of an orderly transition and to require transition school or other bridging training to achieve full POST compliance.

Staff and TWRA agreed to work on scheduling, possible regional transition classes and a phased approach designed to avoid large manpower shortfalls in remote counties. The commission emphasized this approach applies to TWRA as a state agency and that officers who later transfer to local agencies may be required to meet full POST form requirements at that time.