(1) The general assembly hereby finds and declares that Colorado peace officers risk their lives every day in the normal course of their duties. On the roads and highways and throughout the state, peace officers are expected to make quick and difficult decisions that concern both public and officer safety. The general assembly further finds and declares that good training is crucial for peace officers to make decisions that are in the best interests of the health and safety of the citizens of Colorado. The general assembly recognizes that the P.O.S.T. board oversees peace officer training programs and that in the past the state has provided funding for such training programs. The general assembly further recognizes that the state has not provided funding for peace officer training programs since 1992, and that the lack of state funding has had a significant impact on the training of peace officers in the state. Therefore, it is the intent of this section to reimplement state funding for peace officer training programs and to enable the P.O.S.T. board to provide substantial training for peace officers who serve the citizens of Colorado.
The money collected and transferred to the P.O.S.T. board cash fund pursuant tosection 42-3-304 (24) must be used to provide training programs for peace officers, especially peace officers in rural and smaller jurisdictions that have limited resources due to the size or location of such jurisdictions. The money must be used and distributed pursuant to subsection (3) or (4) of this section.
The money collected and transferred to the P.O.S.T. board cash fund pursuant tosection 42-3-304 (24) must be used and distributed as determined by the P.O.S.T. board. The money in the fund must be used to pay the salary and benefits of any employee hired by the department of law in order to administer the peace officer training programs and to cover any other costs incurred by the P.O.S.T. board in connection with such programs. Under no circumstance shall general fund money be used to cover such costs incurred by the department of law or the P.O.S.T. board.
(a) Subject to the available money collected, transferred to, and remaining in the P.O.S.T. board cash fund, the P.O.S.T. board may establish a scholarship program for law enforcement agencies in rural and smaller jurisdictions with limited resources due to their size or location to assist the agencies with the payment of tuition costs for peace officer candidates to attend an approved basic law enforcement training academy. A person whose tuition costs to attend an approved basic law enforcement training academy were paid for pursuant to this subsection (4) must be employed for at least three years by a law enforcement agency in a rural and small jurisdiction after attending the approved basic law enforcement training academy or the person shall reimburse the cost of attending the basic law enforcement training academy to the P.O.S.T. board.
The P.O.S.T. board shall promulgate rules as may be necessary to implement andadminister the scholarship program.
As used in this subsection (4), unless the context otherwise requires, "rural" means anarea defined or designated as rural by the federal office of management and budget.
L. 2003: Entire section added, p. 2114, § 2, effective May 22. L. 2006: (2) and
amended, p. 1500, § 35, effective June 1. L. 2020: (2) and (3) amended and (4) added, (HB 20-1229), ch. 147, p. 635, § 1, effective September 14.