SF4899

Purpose

Increase funding for peace officer training and create a dedicated memorial training fund to support and improve law enforcement training practices in Minnesota.

Main Provisions

• Peace Officer Training Reimbursements

  • Local governments can be reimbursed for peace officer training costs.
  • Funding levels: 2,949,000 (first year) and 6,042,000 (second year) for these reimbursements.

• Philando Castile Memorial Training Fund

  • Establishes the Philando Castile Memorial Training Fund to support and strengthen law enforcement training and implement best practices.
  • The fund provides 4,942,000 each year to reimburse costs for training courses that qualify for reimbursement under specified Minnesota statutes.
  • Targeted training areas include crisis response, conflict management, cultural diversity, and autism training.

• Training Course Standards and Reporting

  • Training course sponsors must include in their approval applications:
  • Course goals and objectives
  • A course outline with a timeline and teaching hours
  • Instructor qualifications
  • A plan for learning assessments and how those assessments will be documented
  • After courses are completed:
  • Instructors must submit student evaluations of teaching
  • The POST Board (Peace Officer Standards and Training Board) keeps records of approved and denied courses
  • All continuing education courses are reviewed after the first year, with a timetable for recurring reviews
  • Sponsors must submit learning assessments to show that approved outcomes are being taught
  • A list of licensees who complete a course must be maintained by the sponsor and provided to the board
  • Evaluations are available to chief law enforcement officers
  • The board must establish a data retention schedule for all collected information

• Optional Use of Remaining Funds

  • If funds remain after reimbursing all eligible requests for approved courses, the board may reimburse other board-approved law enforcement training.
  • Base funding for this optional activity: 878,000 (first reference) rising to 3,878,000 beginning in fiscal year 2028 and continuing thereafter.

Key Changes to Law

• Adds a dedicated funding stream for peace officer training reimbursements to local governments.
• Creates the Philando Castile Memorial Training Fund to support specialized and best-practice training.
• Establishes detailed sponsor accountability and evaluation requirements for training courses.
• Provides a new mechanism to allocate any unused funds to additional board-approved training starting in FY 2028.

Funding and Timing Overview

• First year reimbursements: 2,949,000
• Second year reimbursements: 6,042,000
• Philando Castile Memorial Training Fund: 4,942,000 per year
• Additional funded training (if funds remain): base 878,000, rising to 3,878,000 beginning in FY 2028
• Relevant statutes referenced for training topics: Minnesota Statutes sections 626.8452 (use of force), 626.8469 (crisis training), and 626.8474 (autism training)

Oversight and Accountability

• POST Board oversees training approvals, reviews, and record-keeping.
• Sponsors must document learning outcomes and assessments; provide evaluations to sponsors and the board.
• Data retention and accessibility: board maintains records and provides evaluations to chief law enforcement officers.

Implementation Timeline

• Immediate: funding and program structure begin with the current and next fiscal years for reimbursements and the memorial fund.
• FY 2028 and thereafter: additional funding mechanism for other board-approved training becomes available, with escalating base amounts.

Effects on Local Governments and Agencies

• Local agencies receive reimbursements for peace officer training costs.
• Agencies may pursue additional board-approved training if funds remain after primary reimbursements.
• Stronger oversight, standardized reporting, and transparency for training programs.

Summary of Intent

This bill aims to strengthen Minnesota’s public safety training by increasing funding for officer training reimbursement, creating a dedicated memorial fund to promote best practices in training (including crisis response, cultural diversity, and autism training), and mandating rigorous program oversight, evaluation, and data retention for training courses.

Relevant Terms peace officer training reimbursements POST Board (Peace Officer Standards and Training Board) Philando Castile Memorial Training Fund crisis response training conflict management cultural diversity training autism training Minnesota Statutes 626.8452 Minnesota Statutes 626.8469 Minnesota Statutes 626.8474 learning assessments course goals and objectives course outline instructor qualifications student evaluations data retention chief law enforcement officers board-approved training local governments fiscal years 2028 reimbursements for training costs