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NOTICES:
Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training
Council
Mission Statement
It is the mission of the Georgia Peace Officer
Standards and Training Council (P.O.S.T.) to provide the citizens of Georgia with
qualified, professionally trained, ethical and competent peace officers and criminal
justice professionals.
The Georgia P.O.S.T. Council administers the
regulatory process, sets the standards for training and certification, and provides
essential technical assistance to the law enforcement community.
The Georgia P.O.S.T. Council provides the highest
degree of excellence in public safety service and eliminates unqualified individuals from
the law enforcement profession.
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The P.O.S.T. Council
The Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council (POST) was established in
1970 by the Georgia General Assembly as a regulatory body. The composition of the Council,
its power, and function is established in Title 35 Chapter 8 of the Official Code of
Georgia, Annotated. The Council is responsible for the certification and regulation of
Georgia's peace officers and other various public safety personnel. Additionally, POST is
responsible for establishing the minimum training standards and curriculum of the
personnel certified by the agency.
The POST Council consists of nineteen (19) voting members and a number of advisory members
and meets quarterly. Members of the Council are appointed from state, county and local law
enforcement agencies, professional associations, and from the peace officer population.
The Council members serve the peace officers and citizens of this state without
compensation.
The Council's rules and policies are executed by a professional
and clerical staff which operates under the supervision of the Executive Director. The
Executive Director is responsible for planning, organizing and directing the
administration of a statewide program involving over 40,000 officers actively employed by
over 900 agencies.
The Georgia Peace Officer
By statutory definition, a peace officer is any person who is vested expressly either
by law or by virtue of public employment or service with authority to enforce the criminal
or traffic laws through power of arrest and whose duties include the preservation of
public order, the protection of life and property, and the prevention, detection or
investigation of crimes.
State officers such as the Georgia State Patrol, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation,
the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, and the Georgia Department of Corrections,
deputy sheriffs, county police, municipal police, and campus police are a few of the many
examples of peace officers. Additionally, the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training
Council also has a statutory responsibility to certify non-peace officers such as
communications officers and detention officers.
Before POST will certify a candidate as a peace officer, the candidate must meet
certain minimum standards for employment. These requirements are outlined in the Official
Code of Georgia Annotated 35-8-8.
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