Introduction
A component of the Utah Acadis Online Portal is for agencies to report training hours for officers and dispatchers to maintain their certification. These hours are recorded to fulfill the statutory requirement of completing training as a component to keep peace officer or dispatcher certifications active. In-Service training hours shall be reported only through the Utah Acadis Online Portal. Hours submitted via any other form will not be accepted.
What is the timeline?
The training year is defined by the fiscal year cycle of July1st to June 30th annually. All agencies must complete the reporting and audit period before August 1st annually. On August 1st, all active peace officers and certified dispatchers who have not met the training requirement will have their certification suspended until the training deficiency has been resolved. On October 1st, any peace officer or certified dispatcher, which has not resolved the training deficiency, will be reported to Utah Retirement Systems for an adjustment of retirement benefits. Any peace officer who has not made up the deficiency within 18 months will need to complete the reactivation process to restore certification eligibility.
What should be reported to POST?
Only courses conducted by the agency should be reported. If an officer or certified dispatcher completes a POST sponsored course, this is automatically recorded. Submitting the training again will result in a duplication of records. The agency is responsible for maintaining the detail of the training reported to POST including; dates, training hours, the curriculum used, and instructor information.
What courses are eligible to meet the requirements?
Any POST sponsored course (online or in-person) is eligible for satisfying the annual training requirement. Any other course will need to be approved by the employing chief administrative officer. POST does not endorse or sponsor vendor-provided training, it is at the discretion of the chief administrative officer to determine the validity of the course.
Do I enter POST Sponsored Courses?
No, POST sponsored courses are already credited to the peace officer or dispatcher. Any duplicate entry from the agency will not be approved.
What is the minimum training requirement?
The minimum training requirement is 40 hours for peace officers and 20 hours for dispatchers who are POST certified. The reporting of hours annually along with active employment renews the certification for one more year. If an officer is retiring and has no intention of returning to peace officer status, there is no training requirement in the final year of service. However, if the officer or dispatcher returns to service, the deficiency must be satisfied before certification is issued.
What are the new In-service requirement changes effective July 1, 2021?
As a result of the 2021 legislative session, starting July 1, 2021, (the beginning of the 2022 Inservice reporting year) there will be new requirements regarding the required annual training to maintain a peace officer certification.
To maintain certification, each officer must satisfy the three criteria of annual training:
- A minimum 40 hours of overall training.
- Within the 40 hours of training, a minimum of 16 hours in the topics of De-Escalation; Arrest Control; and Crisis Intervention/Mental Health. (All three topics must be covered.)
- Completion of Autism training (the Autism training may satisfy the Crisis Intervention/Mental Health category.)
As a result of House Bill 162, Utah Code Ann. § 53-6-202 now provides that, “Standards for the training shall be determined by each law enforcement agency or department and approved by the director or designee.” To satisfy the director approval requirement, Utah POST will provide course descriptions for the specific topics listed above (similar to a college course catalog) to assist agencies in locating qualified courses. These course descriptions will provide guidance as agencies create an annual in-service training schedule.
What courses qualify for the minimum 16 hours of training mentioned above?
It is the responsibility of the chief administrative officer to ensure the course curriculum minimally meets the descriptions below to qualify for the topics of De-escalation, Arrest Control, Crisis Intervention/Mental Health, and Autism.
Arrest Control
An approved course addresses key elements of proper and safe arrest control techniques. The key elements include, but are not limited to: searching and cuffing, ground tactics, and tactical retreat. After instruction, the officer will understand the proper procedure of placing a person into handcuffs and proper searching techniques while giving clear verbal instructions. A key element to arrest control is the ability to engage in ground tactics as needed. The officer will also understand the value of engaging in only the minimal force necessary to effectuate the arrest by refamiliarizing the officer with the exercises that reinforce arrest and control techniques, with an emphasis on weapon retention.
De-Escalation
An approved course addresses the key elements of de-escalating an encounter that resolves conflict. The key elements include, but are not limited to: command presence, verbal persuasion, tactical repositioning, and enabling compliance. The officer will be given instruction on mutual respect and sanctity of life as foundational principles of de-escalation. The officer will also be given instruction on and demonstrate through practical exercises how to successfully communicate through clear verbal instructions, reading and reacting to body language, and effective position of interview. The course will also familiarize the officer with tools and techniques to enable the subject to comply with lawful orders by establishing influence with the subject through communication. The course will also instruct officers that containment and control must exist to establish this communication, and it takes two parties, the officer and the suspect, to allow de-escalation work. Lastly, the course will familiarize the officer on the advantages of tactical retreat, which creates time and distance to allow for continued dialogue.
Mental Health / Critical Incident Response
An approved course provides the officer with best practices on how to approach and interact safely with a person who has a mental disorder or is experiencing a mental crisis. Components of the C.I.T. program meet this requirement. Completion of the Autism course also fulfills this requirement.
Autism Spectrum Disorder
An approved course addresses an understanding of what Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is, how to recognize symptoms, and how to respond appropriately. Through instruction, the officer will understand the significant challenges in the areas of social interaction, communication, and behaviors that ASD causes and how these symptoms can often be confused with criminal activity. To aid the officer in understanding ASD, topics of instruction include, but are not limited to: sensory overload, communication, behaviors, social skills, suicide, stimming, and wandering. The officer will be given practical tools on how to effectively communicate and de-escalate a situation with a person who has ASD.
How do agencies report the training to comply with the changes to the law?
Reporting Requirement: The agency will report to POST electronically through the Utah Acadis Online Portal all training is divided into the following categories:
- De-Escalation
- Arrest Control
- Crisis Intervention/Mental Health
- Autism
- Agency directed (any topic not specified in the above categories)
As directed by Utah Code Ann. § 53-6-202, training will be reported using the above summary categories and are to be reported in an hourly breakdown for the 16-hour annual requirement. It is recommended that each agency report training year-round when it is completed to reduce the workload of year-end reporting in July.
What about active-duty deployed employees?
There is an exception to the minimum training requirement for U.S. military deployments. The deployments must be under U.S. Military Orders. Private contract deployment is not eligible. To receive a waiver for military deployment, the waiver form must be completed by the employing agency and submitted to POST no later than July 31st. The waiver is 3.5 hours for every month deployed. The peace officer/dispatcher is still responsible for any gap of hours between the waiver and the minimum requirement.
Note: The military waiver does not extend to the 16 hours of DeEscalation, Arrest Control, and Crisis Intervention/Mental Health, and Autism training.
What if the active-duty employee is short on the training hours?
If the employee is on current deployment, no action will be taken on the certification. However, the hours must be made up before returning to functioning as a peace officer or dispatcher. Once the deficient hours are completed, notify POST to restore the employee's peace officer status.
What about partial-year employment for an employee?
Effective July 1, 2021, there is no waiver of training for an employee who was active part of the year.
What about an employee on disability?
There is an exception to the minimum training requirement for short-term or long-term disability. This policy allows those who cannot participate in any form of training including watching videos, online content, and reading, to receive a training requirement waiver. To receive a waiver for disability, the waiver form must be completed by the employing agency along with a physician's note stating no training is possible under the current medical condition and the form is to be submitted to POST no later than July 31st. The waiver is 3.5 hours for every month while on disability. The peace officer/dispatcher is still responsible for any gap of hours between the waiver and the minimum requirement.
An employee graduated from the academy or completed the waiver/reactivation in the training year. Do they need annual training hours?
Completion of a basic training course, or successful completion of the waiver/reactivation process administratively waives the training requirement for that fiscal year.
What about reporting hours for employees that have separated from our agency during the training year?
It is important to submit hours to POST for completed training hours during the year but who are no longer employed by the agency. This will affect the employees' certification status if they have become employed with another agency, or will in the future. Even though they are unemployed from your agency, you can still enter hours for them by searching by last name and first initial, or by POST ID.
How do agencies get access to report training?
Access to the agency portions of the Utah Online Portal are limited to those authorized by their respective chief, sheriff, or administrative officer as having authority on the agency’s behalf. The chief administrative officer for each agency can designate employees for this access. Individual persons are not allowed to self-report training. To gain access, email support@utapost.org with your name, agency, and email contact for your chief administrative officer. An electronic form will be sent to the chief administrative officer digitally signing authorization into the portal.
Can an officer or dispatcher self-report my training hours?
No, reporting of hours is only accepted through an authorized agency. It is the responsibility of the chief administrative officer to approve the training and house the records. Therefore, self-reporting is not allowed.
Is there a limit to how many times an agency can report hours?
No. There is no limit to the number of submissions. Hours for agency-specific training can be summarized into a single entry titled "##Insert Agency Name## Annual Training ##Insert Training Year##. Training that qualifies for the categories De-Escalation, Arrest Control, Crisis Intervention/Mental Health, Autism training, must include specific training title, description, date training occurred, and the number of hours.
How do I know who is deficient?
From the personnel tab, you can view and download a report of hours obtained by your employees. You can also filter this report.
I have a question that was not answered.
You can email the POST support system at support@utahpost.org or call 801-256-2300 during normal business hours and we will be happy to answer any other questions.
Where do I go to report the training?
https://utah.acadisonline.com/acadisviewer/login.aspx