Missouri’s state commission on police standards and training is preparing a proposal to present to the governor later this year.
The Missouri Department of Safety’s Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission met in Jefferson City yesterday so the public could bring up issues they see within their own communities.
Each speaker touched on different issues within the police agencies, but the most common concern was funding.
Experts in law enforcement, insurance workers and activists all spoke about the possible costs of additional police training.
Patrick Bonnot, director of loss control for the Missouri Intergovernmental Risk Management Association, said it’s important for the commission to realize how cities are strapped for cash.
“If there is going to be some additional impetus put upon them, so far as a mandatory requirement, part of the constitution says the state should fund that,” Bonnot said.
Director of the Department of Safety Lane Roberts said he anticipated the public bringing up funding.
“We know that in an age where governments are experiencing shrinking budgets across the nation imposing additional responsibilities that have money attached to it is an exercise in futility,” Roberts said. “We need to find ways to achieve things practically.”
Roberts said there is no guarantee the commission will propose more training for officers. He said he and other members are keeping open minds and seeking the most effective solutions to any problems within the state’s police agencies.
The commission will submit the proposal by December of this year.
