ATLANTA — Law enforcement leaders said Georgia ranks last in the nation in required training hours for new law enforcement officers - but this week, they adopted a plan to change that.
At a Tuesday meeting of the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council (P.O.S.T.), law enforcement leaders unanimously passed a plan to roughly double the number of hours of training required to become a certified peace officer. P.O.S.T. is the statewide organization that accredits law enforcement officers across Georgia.
"Georgia's 408 hours of required training was the lowest required hours in the nation," said Mike Ayers, the executive director of P.O.S.T., just before the vote was taken. "Hopefully, after today, I won't be able to say that again."
The new training plan boosts the number of required hours from 408 to roughly 800, a leap P.O.S.T. officials say will move Georgia to among the top 10-15 states in the country in terms of required training hours.
"We're going to change law enforcement in our state for the next 30 years," said Ayers.
Georgia State University criminologist Thaddeus Johnson, who served as a law enforcement officer before joining academia, said the quality of the new training will be just as impactful as the quantity in determining its impact.
"We need tactically sound, physically sound officers, but we also need culturally aware, emotionally intelligent officers," said Johnson.
According to Ayers, that's one of the focuses of the new training program.
"All you have to do is watch the 6 o'clock news to see tragedies that occur across our country involving interactions with law enforcement officers," said the P.O.S.T. executive director. "It is our responsibility and our job to do everything that we can to ensure No. 1: that our officers are well trained, No. 2: that they're safe, and most importantly that our community is safe and that they feel confidence in the officers that we are providing."
The new training program adds 25 hours of additional "community relations" training, according to a copy of the plan obtained by 11Alive. That includes modules on "crisis intervention and committals," "implicit bias," "interpersonal communications," and "cultural diversity," according to documents.
Johnson, the criminologist, added that reinforcing the new training in officers once they graduate from the academy will be key.
"You have to train an officer in a certain way, then reward and promote the behaviors that align with that training," said Johnson.
He also stressed that moving the training beyond the classroom and into "real, dynamic" situations is an important element in producing better-prepared law enforcement officers.
Ayers echoed that sentiment, highlighting that the new Georgia training plan puts a greater emphasis on active training. The new plan requires 40 hours of "judgmental simulator/scenarios and practical exercises," according to a copy obtained by 11Alive.
"We did put in a lot of hands-on, experienced training into the training program," said Fayetteville Police Chief Scott Gray, who helped finalize the new plan. "We felt like that was very needed."
The new program also mandates 16 hours of active shooter training.
"I believe I'm going to get a better product out of the academy," said Steve Hyman, Chief of the Tifton Police Department and chairman of the P.O.S.T. Council.
Butch Ayers, executive director of the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police, agreed.
"The on-the-ground impact is you have a better-prepared officer," he said.
The new training plan goes into effect Jan. 1.
"We lagged way behind the rest of the states in this regard," said Terry Norris, executive director of the Georgia Sheriffs' Association. "This is a long time coming."
Have a tip for 11Alive Investigators? Text "investigate" to 404-885-7600 or email us at investigates@11alive.com. Your story and information are important to us, we'll make sure it gets to the right person on the team who may be in touch.