ColoradoColorado law sets academy training and officer certification rules
The law directs the attorney general to propose academy training updates and sets rules for board membership, peace officer certification, and instructor grants.
What it does
The attorney general must propose updates to basic, reserve, and refresher academy programs for the P.O.S.T. Board to consider.
The board has 28 members, including seats for local government, police chiefs, sheriffs, peace officers, training academies, and reserve officers.
People whose certification was revoked cannot serve on the board or teach approved skills classes. An academy also cannot be approved if an instructor’s certification was revoked after September 1, 2026.
Peace officers must be at least 21 years old to meet basic certification requirements.
Full-time academy instructors may attend grant-funded or grant-hosted P.O.S.T. certification classes, but cannot receive individual grants from the P.O.S.T. Board.
Argument forA required training update proposal could help the board consider changes aimed at improving future academy graduates’ performance.
Argument againstThe age rule could delay basic certification for younger candidates, even if they have passed the board’s exams and met its other requirements.
More detail
The attorney general must submit an academy training update proposal to the P.O.S.T. Board. The proposal covers basic, reserve, and refresher law enforcement academy programs and aims to improve future graduates’ performance. If the board rejects a proposal, the attorney general must submit another within one year of the rejection. This duty ends after the board approves a comprehensive academy program update and its chair notifies the state reviser in writing. The first proposal is due by December 31, 2030. The duty ends when the board approves a comprehensive update and its chair notifies the state reviser in writing.
The P.O.S.T. Board has 28 members, and its chair is the attorney general or the attorney general’s designee. The board includes local government representatives, police chiefs, sheriffs, peace officers, non-law-enforcement members, academy directors, and a reserve-officer organization executive. The governor appoints members for three-year terms and consults statewide organizations when appointing chiefs, sheriffs, and line-level officers. The chair and vice-chair may invite nonvoting people to provide expertise.
A person whose peace officer certification was revoked cannot serve on the board or be approved as a skills instructor. These limits apply to P.O.S.T. Board appointments, skills instructors, and training academies seeking board approval. The board also cannot approve an academy if one of its instructors had certification revoked after September 1, 2026. The academy approval limit applies to instructors whose certification was revoked after September 1, 2026.
A peace officer must be at least 21 years old to meet basic certification requirements. The age requirement applies to peace officers seeking basic certification.
A full-time academy instructor may attend P.O.S.T. certification classes funded or hosted with grant money, but cannot receive an individual grant from the P.O.S.T. Board. This provision covers full-time instructors at peace officer training academies. The instructor may still receive an individual grant from an entity other than the P.O.S.T. Board.
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Where it stands
- Introduced
- Passed House
- Passed Senate
- To Governor
- Became Law
Looking ahead
No hearings or votes scheduled.
History
- 2026
- Jun 3Governor Jared Polis SignedBecame Law
- Jun 2Signed by the Speaker of the HouseMajor
- Jun 2Signed by the President of the SenateMajor
- Jun 2Sent to the GovernorTo Governor
- May 4House Considered Senate Amendments - Result was to Concur - Repass
- Vote recorded CONCUR. Result: pass.Upper
- Vote recorded CONCUR. Result: pass.Lower
- Vote recorded REPASS. Result: pass.Lower
- May 1Senate Third Reading Passed - No AmendmentsPassed Senate
- Vote recorded BILL. Result: pass.Upper
- Apr 30Senate Second Reading Special Order - Passed with Amendments - Committee
- Apr 27Senate Committee on Judiciary Refer Amended to Senate Committee of the WholeMinor
- Vote recorded Adopt amendment L.010 (Attachment D). Result: pass.Upper
- Vote recorded Refer House Bill 26-1312, as amended, to the Committee of the Whole. Result: pass.Upper
- Apr 23Introduced In Senate - Assigned to JudiciaryMinor
- Apr 21House Third Reading Passed - No AmendmentsPassed House
- Vote recorded BILL. Result: pass.Lower
- Apr 17House Third Reading Laid Over Daily - No Amendments
- Apr 16House Second Reading Special Order - Passed with Amendments - Committee, Floor
- Apr 7House Second Reading Laid Over Daily - No Amendments
- Apr 1House Committee on Judiciary Refer Amended to House Committee of the WholeMinor
- Vote recorded Adopt amendment L.002 (Attachment Q). Result: pass.Lower
- Vote recorded Refer House Bill 26-1312, as amended, to the Committee of the Whole. Result: pass.Lower
- Vote recorded Adopt amendment L.005 (Attachment O). Result: pass.Lower
- Vote recorded Adopt amendment L.006 (Attachment R). Result: fail.Lower
- Vote recorded Adopt amendment L.007 (Attachment P). Result: pass.Lower
- Vote recorded Adopt amendment L.001 (Attachment N). Result: pass.Lower
- Mar 2Introduced In House - Assigned to JudiciaryIntroduced
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