U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

LATERAL ENTRY HIRING

NCJ Number
147110
Journal
Law and Order Volume: 41 Issue: 11 Dated: (November 1993) Pages: 81-87
Author(s)
J Hoffmann
Date Published
1993
Length
7 pages
Annotation
A survey of every police standards and training board across the U.S. revealed that most States will accept and waive basic training requirements for police officers moving from another State.
Abstract
The creation of police officer standards and training (POST) commissions, begun in the 1970's, has facilitated officers' ability to make lateral moves without being recertified in a new jurisdiction. Most States now require the incoming officer's basic training to meet at least the minimum amount of training hours and course subjects required there. In many instances, the POST commission must review the officer's training before issuing a waiver, while other States still require the incoming officer to complete training courses designed for out-of-State officers. California has the toughest lateral move requirements, while Washington, D.C., and parts of Hawaii do not accept an officer's previous training at all. Minimum training standards set by most urban police academies surpass the requirements of many States. 1 table