(See my post entitled CALEA and the CSO, made 3 years ago.) My agency is now undergoing its second reaccreditation since I have been with them. This means that SIX years have gone by and there are STILL no standards within the Commission for the Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA). That CALEA would still have no standards specifically addressing CSOs just reinforces that we are the unwanted orphan stepchildren of law enforcement. Handy to have around when there is a collision, a burglary, or a theft call, but not considered "real" agents of the police function.
I urge EVERYONE who reads this to write to the CALEA web site and urge them to adopt specific standards for agencies with CSO programs. ALSO, contact your state Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) web site and urge them to develop specific criteria for CERTIFIED CSOs. We need state POSTs to provide the approved training criteria and approved lesson plans, for classes to be taught by POST certified general instructors, so CSOs can receive POST certification as CSOs! I GUARANTEE that if your state has a Reserve Officer program, they have a POST certification for them. California even requires DISPATCHERS to be POST certified!!!
So here's the short list of actions you need to take:
1. Write the CALEA web site.
2. Write your state POST web site.
DEMAND recognition!!! If we make enough noise, someone will hear!

Mike,
Your agency should have an outline that covers this. My agency covers this in it's policy and procedures and in our general orders. I am a C.S.O. in California and my agency sends us to a CSO Academy at a Police Academy. The training is almost a month long and it is POST certified.

If you are not receiving this training, I suggest you contact your admin. in charge of C.S.O.'s and question this a little more. Refer to POST's website and look for the Police Academies in your area that offers this.

Best Regards,
Duke

Hi Duke!
I appreciate your response. We do get training, and it is done by an AZPOST approved academy. HOWEVER, AZ POST does not recognize CSOs as regular, Reserve, or specialty officers. We are considered CIVILIAN traffic enforcement agents and CIVILIAN police auxiliaries. So while we get over 300 hours of academic training and another 10 weeks of FTO training we aren't certified. We are allowed to attend AZ POST AOT classes if and only if there are vacancies after all the commissioned agencies serviced by the Southern AZ Law Enforcement Training Center (SALETC) have had an opportunity to fill those slots (in other words, we get the leftovers).

Don't get me wrong - I L-O-V-E my job as a CSO, and I work with some really great people. What I would like to see is that all the training and dedication that CSOs put into the job results in a state POST CERTIFICATION as a CSO based on meeting specific training criteria. The training we receive is done with POST approved lesson plans, and taught by POST general instructors; so why not put a sticker on our backsides that sez we are USDA prime beef and not just ground chuck? 8)

One of the best ways I can think to make this happen is for CALEA (as a NATIONALLY recognized forum for LE excellence) to create a standard addressing CSOs. "The Agency has written directives for the training and ongoing development of POST certified Community Service Officers to perform non-hazardous duties (as determined appropriate by the Agency CEO) which do not require a sworn officer to accomplish."

Thanks again for your response. I am pleased to see California and your agency have progressed to where they have. The rest of us have a way to go yet...

STAY SAFE!

I talked to our CALEA person and he said that they require training for every member of the department. What he failed to mention was that they do not require a particular level of profciency or course of study for that required training which allows departments to pick and choose what they want to send us to.
He wasn't mcuh help when I talked to him about this subject (and he is one of the traveling accreditors which means he has more interaction with CALEA than average).
How come anyone that carries, or carried a gun, fails to understand our position.

I agree 100% with you, I get what you are saying, makes sense. I will look into your reccomendations. I hate to sound negative but I don't see it happening in my career lifetime. I would just like to get recognized as a high-risk worker in my state of Florida. I am looking at retirement soon and that would make a difference for me, I am selfish. I understand Property Clerks are high risk, I take property to the Property Clerks, seems rather elementary doesn't it. I suppose it would take legislature, been there, T-shirt and all, too much work, again I am selfish. CFA is our statewide accreditating agency, my husband is an assessor for both CALEA and CFA. Thank you for being willing to educate CSO's about the accreditation process! Most CSO's, let alone cops and people, understand what LE Accreditation is, does, or why it is important. LOL

Very interesting points. To my knowledge there are no training requirments or standardization for CSO's in Oregon. It appears the job description and any training is left to the Chief and how liable he wants to be. I suspect there isn't a large out pouring of support from other CSO's because many are using the position as a stepping stone to being a sworn officer and not in it for the long haul. Most of the officer's in my department are great, but I sometimes get the feeling I'm looked on as the ******* step child. Certification might bring us up a little in society.