Post Symposium On Law Enforcement Training Issues

Events of police misconduct in the March 1991 Rodney King incident in Los Angeles generated widespread news media, legislative, and public attention. In view of these incidents, the POST Commission established a committee to examine the adequacy of current POST training. This evaluation began with a series of public input forums conducted by a committee of Commissioners in several locations throughout the state. The comments and observations from citizens (including minority groups) and officers during these forums lead to the consensus that improvements in training were needed in three areas. These were: (1) use of force; (2) cultural awareness; and (3) supervisory accountability. These suggestions and recommendations culminated in a two-day symposium. It was attended by a broad-based balance of law enforcement executives, rank and file officers, trainers, educators, and members of the public. This report constitutes a summary of the symposium proceedings.