<< Georgia Police Agencies among Most Transparent in Nation
Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training ( POST ) Council ’ s Rules , Georgia ’ s open records laws , at-will employment laws , and independent investigations .
Peace Officer Standards & Training Counsel ( POST ) In 1970 , Georgia became the 5th State in the Nation to implement a Peace Officers Standards and Training ( POST ) Council to regulate officer training and discipline officers who do not comply with established standards .
First , Georgia POST Council recently implemented a requirement that all candidates attending the academy must submit to an assessment by a psychologist or psychiatrist . 1 This initiative will help to identify individuals who may have issues that may adversely affect their ability to perform as an officer .
Georgia POST also has the most stringent and comprehensive reporting requirements of potential problem behavior of officers in the United States . Agencies are required to notify POST in writing within 15 days whenever an officer is :
• Terminated ,
• Resigns in lieu of termination ,
• Suspended for more than 30 days , or
• Demoted for disciplinary reasons . 2
The State of Georgia is the leader in providing transparency and ensuring law enforcement officers are held accountable .
Officers are required to notify POST in writing within 15 days if they are :
• Arrested
• Suspended for more than 30 days , demoted for disciplinary reasons , terminated or resign in lieu of termination
• Indicted
• Convicted or bond forfeiture for any local , state , or federal court ( other than minor traffic offenses ). 3
Any of these events will trigger a POST investigation of the incident . Individuals who are indicted have their certification immediately suspended .
As a result of these reporting requirements , Georgia POST decertifies more officers every year than any other state . Interestingly , Georgia , Florida , and North Carolina account for more than 50 % of all officers de-certified in the United States . This is not because Georgia officers are worse than officers in other states , but rather that Georgia just holds officers accountable to a higher standard of conduct . Until earlier this year , five states , ( California , Massachusetts , Hawaii , Rhode Island and New Jersey ), still did not have authority revoke an officer ’ s certification . 4 This is 42 years after Georgia implemented their standards .
Some states can only remove an officer ’ s certification for felony convictions . Slightly more than half are able to decertify officers for failing to acquire minimum mandated training . 5
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