The law aims to prevent officers fired by one department for bad behavior from later finding a job in another. So far, 20 officers from local departments have been decertified for offenses ranging from sexual misconduct to domestic violence to dishonesty.

#Hundreds of officers decertified

Lawmakers gave POST a year to set up the state’s decertification system, including hiring staff and establishing investigation procedures. From the start, the commission was playing catch-up.

That’s because, under SB 2, some decertification would apply retroactively. That includes officers who committed felonies, qualifying misdemeanors and certain kinds of misconduct — specifically dishonesty, sexual assault and use of deadly force.

So far, POST has received over 35,000 cases for review. About half of them involve incidents dating before 2023.

The reports include allegations against nearly 20,000 current or former officers who worked for big cities, small towns, universities and a slew of government agencies.

POST has completed investigations into more than 13,000 cases, with nearly 300 resulting in decertifications. Dozens of them voluntarily surrendered their badges.

Another 140 have had their certifications suspended while POST investigates.