Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training.

Assembly Member Michelle Rodriguez's legislation expands the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training's (POST) authority to access and utilize sensitive law enforcement information while implementing new security protocols for POST personnel. The bill authorizes POST to inspect criminal history records, offender information, and data from the California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System when necessary for investigations and oversight duties.

POST employees, contractors, and others whose duties require access to confidential criminal justice information must undergo fingerprint-based state and national background checks. The Department of Justice will process these checks and provide criminal history responses to verify eligibility for accessing sensitive data.

The legislation also enhances POST's investigative capabilities by granting explicit authority to review agency files and conduct additional inquiries when evaluating potential grounds for peace officer decertification. Law enforcement agencies must report to POST within 10 days any complaints, findings, or dispositions related to serious officer misconduct that could lead to certification actions.

To protect sensitive information, the bill establishes protocols for maintaining and sharing investigative records. POST must retain investigation records for 30 years, while agencies must preserve relevant materials for at least two years after reporting findings or dispositions. The commission may withhold certain information from officers if disclosure could compromise investigations or create safety risks.

The measure includes an urgency clause for immediate implementation upon passage, with authors citing the pressing need to reinforce POST's oversight responsibilities and information access authorities. No state reimbursement is required as the bill's provisions relate to crime definition changes rather than imposing new local costs.