74-5604a. Extension of program; certification of schools; part-time officer training; pretraining evaluation; rejection of applicant. (a) The director of police training may establish a program for extending the law enforcement training and instruction throughout the state on a regional basis. The director of police training also may certify annually the training schools of state and local law enforcement agencies providing a course of law enforcement training for full-time police officers or law enforcement officers when such training programs satisfy the qualifications and standards promulgated by the director of police training after approval of the commission and when such programs satisfy a demonstrated training need not met by existing programs. The director of police training shall establish a course in basic law enforcement training for part-time police officers or law enforcement officers, approved by the commission, to be provided at the training center and certified state and local law enforcement training schools. In addition, after the general election of each election year and prior to January 1 of the next succeeding year, and at such other times as the director of police training deems necessary, the director of police training shall commence a training course for persons elected to the office of sheriff at the preceding general election.

(b) The director of police training shall conduct a pretraining evaluation of applicants for admission to the course for law enforcement officers conducted by the training center or to any certified state or local law enforcement training school to assure that each applicant is qualified to serve as a law enforcement officer. The director of police training shall adopt minimum standards, which shall receive prior approval by the commission, to be considered in the pretraining evaluation. The director of police training shall advise the city, county or state agency, railroad, school district or community college authorizing the applicant to attend the training center or certified state or local law enforcement training school of the results of the pretraining evaluation. The director of police training, with approval of the commission, may reject an applicant to the training center who does not meet the minimum pretraining standards.

(c) Training courses conducted pursuant to this section may include procedures for law enforcement to follow when responding to an allegation of stalking.

History: L. 1982, ch. 322, § 3; L. 1983, ch. 256, § 3; L. 1987, ch. 277, § 3; L. 1995, ch. 180, § 8; L. 2006, ch. 170, § 9; L. 2008, ch. 137, § 6; July 1.