Peace officers.

Assembly Member Irwin’s measure ties peace-officer eligibility to formal higher-education credentials and a state-coordinated degree pathway, reframing the credentialing framework for California’s sworn officers. It amends the Government Code to codify minimum standards for peace officers, adds a timeline for degree or certificate attainment beginning in 2031, and creates two new education tracks—the modern policing degree and the professional policing certificate—along with rules for counting academy coursework and prior military or out-of-state training toward those credentials. It also permits credential-evaluation services recognized by national bodies to assess foreign degrees for equivalency toward the stated educational options.

Key mechanisms include a revamped set of eligibility requirements and the introduction of explicit education options: a high school equivalency or a two- to four-year degree from an accredited institution, with foreign degrees eligible for evaluation for equivalency by recognized evaluators. The new section adds timelines starting January 1, 2031, requiring qualifying state peace officers to obtain one of four credentials within 36 months after basic certification: an associate’s degree, a bachelor’s or advanced degree, the modern policing degree, or the professional policing certificate. A separate 48-month window applies to individuals with less than eight years of experience as a sworn officer from another state or less than eight years of U.S. military service, provided certain conditions are met; those with eight or more years of experience or service are not subject to the 36/48-month timelines. The modern policing degree must comprise at least 60 semester units or 90 quarter units and may credit academy instruction; the professional policing certificate requires at least 16 semester units or 24 quarter units. Courses for both tracks include subjects such as communications, psychology, writing, ethics, and criminal justice, with additional provisions allowing coursework from the academy or prior military/law-enforcement training to count toward the degree or certificate, while avoiding sole credit toward the professional certificate.

Section 13511.1 amendments shift the advisory and planning function to include POST, law-enforcement stakeholders, California State University representatives, and community organizations, guiding the development of the modern policing degree program. By June 1, 2023, the CCC Office of the Chancellor, in consultation with these stakeholders, must submit a report outlining recommendations to implement the program, focusing on course content, allowances for prior experience, the inclusion of both the modern policing degree and a bachelor’s degree as minimum employment qualifications, and recommendations for financial aid for historically underserved students. The plan envisions alignment with the Government Code and implementation through CCC and POST coordination, with attention to credential evaluation, transferability, and evolving education pipelines for peace officers.

From a policy and implementation perspective, the measure would require coordination among the California Community Colleges, POST, and law enforcement agencies to develop curricula, articulation standards, and enforcement mechanisms for the new credentials. Fiscal considerations are noted for committee review, but no explicit appropriation is included in the text. Transitional protections apply to personnel already enrolled in a basic academy or employed as peace officers as of 2030, and to employees of the State Hospitals, shaping workforce transitions. The proposal situates education-based standards within the existing POST framework while clarifying the role of higher education in professional pathways for peace officers and expanding access through potential financial aid for historically underserved communities.