Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutPolicy #203-TrainingPolicy 203 Albany Police Department Albany PD Policy Manual Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2026/06/18, All Rights Reserved. Published with permission by Albany Police Department Training - 1 Training 203.1 PURPOSE AND SCOPE It is the policy of this department to administer a training program that will provide for the professional growth and continued development of its personnel. By doing so, the Department will ensure its personnel possess the knowledge and skills necessary to provide a professional level of service that meets the needs of the community. 203.2 POLICY The Department shall administer a training program that will meet the standards of federal, state, local, and POST training requirements. It is a priority of this department to provide continuing education and training for the professional growth and development of its members. 203.3 PHILOSOPHY The Department seeks to provide ongoing training and encourages all personnel to participate in advanced training and formal education on a continual basis. Training is provided within the confines of funding, requirements of a given assignment, staffing levels, and legal mandates. Whenever possible, the Department will use courses certified by the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST). 203.4 OBJECTIVES The objectives of the Training Program are to: (a)Enhance the level of law enforcement service to the public. (b)Increase the technical expertise and overall effectiveness of our personnel. (c)Provide for continued professional development of department personnel. (d)Ensure compliance with POST rules and regulations concerning law enforcement training. 203.5 TRAINING PLAN A training plan will be developed and maintained by a designated Training Sergeant. It is the responsibility of the Training Sergeant to maintain, review, and update the training plan on an annual basis. The plan will address areas deemed a priority for the department. 203.6 TRAINING COMMITTEE The Training Sergeant shall establish a Training Committee, which will serve to assist with identifying training needs for the Department. The Training Committee shall be comprised of at least three members, with the senior ranking member of the committee acting as the chairperson. Members should be selected based on their Albany Police Department Albany PD Policy Manual Training Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2026/06/18, All Rights Reserved. Published with permission by Albany Police Department Training - 2 abilities at post-incident evaluation and at assessing related training needs. The Training Sergeant may remove or replace members of the committee at his/her discretion. The Training Committee should review certain incidents to determine whether training would likely improve future outcomes or reduce or prevent the recurrence of the undesirable issues related to the incident. Specific incidents the Training Committee should review include, but are not limited to: (a)Any incident involving the death or serious injury of an employee. (b)Incidents involving a high risk of death, serious injury or civil liability. (c)Incidents identified by a supervisor as appropriate to review to identify possible training needs. The Training Committee should convene on a regular basis as determined by the Training Sergeant to review the identified incidents. The committee shall determine by consensus whether a training need exists and then submit written recommendations of its findings to the Training Sergeant. The recommendation should not identify specific facts of any incidents, such as identities of employees involved or the date, time and location of the incident, but should focus on the type of training being recommended. The Training Sergeant will consider the recommendations of the committee and determine what training should be addressed, taking into consideration the mission of the Department and available resources. 203.6 TRAINING NEEDS ASSESSMENT The Training Sergeant will conduct an annual training-needs assessment of the Department. The needs assessment will be reviewed by staff. Upon approval by the staff, the needs assessment will form the basis for the training plan for the fiscal year. 203.8 REQUESTS TO ATTEND NON-MANDATED TRAINING From time to time an employee may request to attend unscheduled or non-mandated training. In order to establish a process for employees to attend non-POST certified courses and POST courses beyond normal departmental assigned training, the following procedure is adopted: Any employee wishing to attend any course in the above category must complete an Albany Police Department Training Request form and submit it to their supervisor. When choosing a course topic the employee should consider course relevance and application to activities in the department and. Courses that do not have a relevant correlation to department goals or the employee's assignment will generally not be authorized. If the employee's supervisor feels the request is reasonable when measured by the above standard the supervisor will direct the request to the Training Manager for review. If the Training Manager feels the request is reasonable he/she will submit the request to Support Services Division Commander. The Support Services Division Commander will then make a determination in a timely manner and notify the Training Manager. Albany Police Department Albany PD Policy Manual Training Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2026/06/18, All Rights Reserved. Published with permission by Albany Police Department Training - 3 Each course request will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Priority will be given to POST approved courses or courses that are POST reimbursable. An employee's recent training schedule will also be considered in making a final determination regarding attendance. Employees should provide as much advanced notice as possible for a course to allow schedules to be reviewed and check requests be made. Short notice may impact the ability to have a course approved. Each course request will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis to determine if tuition and/ or compensation for the course will be covered by the agency and how the employee will be scheduled to attend the course. Employees may be able to attend non-POST courses during their scheduled shifts if their absence creates no overtime. This policy applies only to training for which the employee requests/expects any of the following: compensation, reimbursement, scheduling consideration, etc. No reimbursement or compensation will be provided without preapproval from the Support Services Division Commander. 203.9 DAILY TRAINING BULLETINS The Lexipol Daily Training Bulletins (DTBs) is a web-accessed system that provides training on the Albany Police Department Policy Manual and other important topics. Generally, one training bulletin is available for each day of the month. However, the number of DTBs may be adjusted by the Training Sergeant. Personnel assigned to participate in DTBs should only use the password and login name assigned to them by the Training Sergeant. Personnel should not share their password with others and should frequently change their password to protect the security of the system. After each session, employees should log off the system to prevent unauthorized access. The content of the DTBs is copyrighted material and shall not be shared with others outside of the Department. Employees who are assigned to participate in the DTB program should complete each DTB at the beginning of their shift or as otherwise directed by their supervisor. Employees should not allow uncompleted DTBs to build up over time. Personnel may be required to complete DTBs missed during extended absences (e.g., vacation, medical leave) upon returning to duty. Although the DTB system can be accessed from any internet active computer, employees shall only take DTBs as part of their on-duty assignment unless directed otherwise by a supervisor. Supervisors will be responsible for monitoring the progress of personnel under their command to ensure compliance with this policy. 203.10 TRAINING SERGEANT The Chief of Police shall designate a Training Sergeant who is responsible for developing, reviewing, updating, and maintaining the department training plan so that required training is completed. The Training Sergeant should review the training plan annually. Albany Police Department Albany PD Policy Manual Training Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2026/06/18, All Rights Reserved. Published with permission by Albany Police Department Training - 4 203.10.1 TRAINING RESTRICTION The Training Sergeant is responsible for establishing a process to identify officers who are restricted from training other officers for the time period specified by law because of a sustained use of force complaint (Government Code § 7286(b)).