Strengthening training for law enforcement supervisors

In 2023, the Possibility Lab research team partnered with California’s Commission on Peace Officer Standards & Training (POST) to conduct a comprehensive analysis of evidence-based practices in the field of leadership and management training for law enforcement. In addition, we undertook both qualitative and quantitative data collection to better understand the experiences and preferences of recent participants in the POST Management Course.

Through surveys and interviews with law enforcement leaders and those who had participants in recent POST training, we found that participants were generally satisfied with their training – students on average enjoyed their experience in the course and the opportunity to connect with other participants. Time spent in-class tended to be viewed as valuable, and the content deemed useful and important.

However, our research also surfaced areas of opportunity to improve course effectiveness and student satisfaction, especially with respect to serving course participants who come from backgrounds that are currently underrepresented in California law enforcement (e.g., women and racial minorities), as well as participants who are not police officers (e.g., those from sheriff’s departments and non-sworn officers) and who are from agencies of different sizes (e.g., both small and large.)

In a final report, we review existing evidence on law enforcement manager training, discuss our findings, and provide data-informed recommendations for the POST Management Course going forward.