Peace officers.

Senators Seyarto and Wahab advance a measure that centers the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office in shaping a modern policing degree program and pairs it with a dual-ed education pathway for peace officers, taking effect immediately as an urgency statute. The proposal reframes the pathway into which prospective officers enter the field by requiring both a modern policing degree and a bachelor’s degree in a field of the recipient’s choosing, while also broadening the role of prior experience in meeting employment eligibility.

Under the core mechanism, a broad set of actors—including the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training, law enforcement representatives, the California State University system, and community organizations—shall advise the CCC Chancellor’s Office as it develops the program. A report outlining the plan to implement the program must be submitted by June 1, 2023, detailing course focus areas such as psychology, communications, history, ethnic studies, law, and skills intended to foster critical thinking and emotional intelligence. The bill allows prior law enforcement, work, postsecondary education, or military experience to count toward eligibility, with specific caveats for military-related specializations and for character assessments. It also directs consideration of opportunities for financial assistance to students from historically underserved and disadvantaged communities, and it ties the reporting to Government Code requirements for public disclosures.

The legislation describes a shift away from a mandatory criteria-adoption role for the POST, as reflected in its digest, toward an advisory framework led by the CCC Chancellor’s Office and its stakeholders. It would preserve an advisory and reporting function for POST rather than a prescriptive standard-setting obligation, though the enacted text does not expressly repeal every prior enforcement mechanism in the excerpt. The act also foresees no new direct appropriation within the bill itself, and it retains a fiscal-committee review process to evaluate ongoing costs associated with curriculum development, degree pathway implementation, and potential student support services.

Contextually, the measure has several implementation implications for key groups: law enforcement agencies and POST would need to align recruitment policies with the new dual-degree requirement and the allowances for prior experience; higher education institutions (CCC and CSU) would shoulder increased responsibility for program design, articulation, and capacity to deliver expanded degree offerings; prospective officers would confront a more demanding entry standard, while opportunities for veterans and others with relevant military specializations could be expanded through experience-based pathways. The emphasis on equity through anticipated financial assistance and the immediate effective date aims to address recruitment pressures, though questions remain about transitional rules, alignment with existing certifications, and the sufficiency of resources to realize the program’s stated goals.