Rules of Georgia Peace Officer Standards And Training Council

CHAPTER 464-6 INSTRUCTOR CERTIFICATION

464-6-.01 Instructor Certification. Levels of Instructor. For the purposes of these rules, there shall be five levels of certification by which an instructor may become certified to teach in a course approved by the Council:

(a) Level I- Basic/In-service Instructor;
(b) Level II-Advanced Instructor;
(c) Level II-D-Designated Instructor;
(d) Level III-Senior Instructor; and
(e) Level IV-Master Instructor.

464-6-.02 Instructor Certification.

(a) Any persons serving as a Level I (Basic) instructor may teach in-service courses as defined in the most recent Uniform Law Enforcement Academy Regulations (ULEAR) as adopted by the Council, at an agency level. A Level I certified instructor may also teach basic training as defined by the ULEAR under the supervision of any instructor engaged by assignment as a certified POST academy staff member or Level II or above adjunct faculty member.

(b) Any persons serving as a Level II instructor may teach Level I approved courses, and, in addition, basic training as defined by the ULEAR, and advanced level courses which lead to certifications other than topics governed by Level II-D certification. Level II certification is required for all staff acting as full-time instructors at any POST certified Academy.

464-6-.03 Competency Required for Instructor Level I Certification. To qualify for certification as an instructor under these Rules, an applicant shall demonstrate competency to teach.

(a) Competency shall be evaluated in terms of three abilities, as follows:

possession of requisite skills and knowledge;

demonstration of effective presentation skills and knowledge in a classroom situation; and

organization of requisite skills and knowledge.

(b) Competency with respect to possession of requisite skills and knowledge is demonstrated when an applicant provides suitable evidence of a high school diploma, or its recognized equivalent, and direct experience.

(c) Competency with respect to organization of requisite skills and knowledge is demonstrated when an applicant provides suitable evidence of the following:

successful completion of the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training instructor course or its recognized equivalent; and

academy director authorization for certification upon successful completion of Level I course of instruction.

(d) Suitable evidence of applicant's competency in each of the three abilities (possession of requisite skills, organization of skills and demonstration of effective presentation) shall be reflected in an application form provided by the Council. No applicant shall be certified as a Level I instructor in accordance with these Rules unless application is made in such form as the Council may establish.

464-6-.04 Competency Required for Instructor Level II Certification. To qualify for certification as an instructor under these Rules, an applicant shall demonstrate competency to teach.

(a) Competency shall be evaluated in terms of three abilities, as follows:

possession of requisite skills and knowledge;

demonstration of effective presentation skills and knowledge in a classroom situation; and

organization of requisite skills and knowledge.

(b) Competency with respect to possession of requisite skills and knowledge is demonstrated when an applicant provides suitable evidence of a high school diploma, or its recognized equivalent, and direct experience.

(c) Competency with respect to organization of requisite skills and knowledge is demonstrated when an applicant provides suitable evidence of the following:

successful completion of the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and

Training Level II Instructor Course or its recognized equivalent; and

academy director authorization for certification upon successful completion of Level II course of instruction.

(d) Suitable evidence of applicant's competency in each of the three abilities (possession of requisite skills, organization of skills and demonstration of effective presentation) shall be reflected in an application form provided by the Council. No applicant shall be certified as a Level II instructor in accordance with these Rules unless application is made in such form as the Council may establish.

464-6-.05 Designated Instructor Certification. Any persons serving as an instructor in the following subjects must be certified as a Level II-D (Designated) instructor in accordance with these rules:

(a) Firearms
(b) Defensive tactics
(c) Driver training
(d) Speed detection
(e) Hazardous materials
(f) Emergency medical
(g) Master Resiliency

464-6-.06 Competency Required for Designated Instructor Certification (Level II-D). To qualify for certification as a Level II-D instructor under these Rules, an applicant shall demonstrate competency to teach.

(a) Competency shall be evaluated in terms of the following;

Successful completion of the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council Level II instructor training course; and

Successful completion of designated Council approved training in the subject of expertise.

(b) Suitable evidence of applicant competency shall be reflected in an application form provided by the Council.

464-6-.07 Level III (Senior) Instructor Certification and Level IV (Master) Instructor Certification.

(a) Each person applying for Level III (Senior) Instructor level certification must demonstrate a competency to teach.

Competency shall be evaluated in terms of three abilities, as follows: possession of requisite skills and knowledge;

organization of skills and knowledge in a written form suitable for teaching; and

demonstration of effective presentation skills and knowledge in a classroom situation.
(i) Competency with respect to possession of knowledge of requisite skills and knowledge is demonstrated when an applicant provides suitable evidence of a high school diploma or its recognized equivalent
(ii) Competency with respect to organization of requisite skills and knowledge is demonstrated when an applicant provides suitable evidence of the following:

successful completion of the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Level III Instructor Courses; and

academy director authorization for certification
(iii) Competency with respect to classroom presentation of requisite skills and knowledge is demonstrated when an applicant provides suitable evidence of the following:

successful completion of the Georgia Peace Officer and Standards Training Instructor Courses; and

successful completion of both written and performance examinations approved by Council in which curriculum development, presentation skills, and knowledge are tested.
(iv) Suitable evidence of applicant's competency in each of the three abilities (possession of requisite skills, organization of skills, and demonstration of effective presentation) shall be reflected in an application form provided by the Council. No applicant shall be certified as an instructor in accordance with these rules unless application is made in such form as the Council may establish.

(b) Level IV (Master Instructor Certification Requirements)

Each person applying for Master Level certification must:
(i) Possess or be able to possess the Level III (Senior) Instructor Certificate;
(ii) Demonstrate competency to teach

Competency shall be evaluated in terms of three abilities as follow:
(i) possession of requisite skills and knowledge;
(ii) organization of skills and knowledge in a written form suitable for teaching; and
(iii) demonstration of contemporary training course development skills and knowledge in
a classroom situation.

Competency with respect to organization of requisite skills and knowledge is demonstrated when an applicant provides suitable evidence of the following:
(i) successful completion of the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Level IV Instructor Course; and
(ii) academy director authorization for certification.

Competency with respect to classroom presentation of requisite skills and knowledge is demonstrated when an applicant provides suitable evidence of one of the following:
(i) successful completion of the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Level IV Instructor Course; and
(ii) successful completion of both written and performance examinations approved by the Council in which teaching presentation skills and knowledge are tested.

Suitable evidence of applicant’s competency in each of the three abilities (possession of requisite skills, organization of skills, and demonstration of training course development) shall be reflected in an application form provided by the Council. No applicant shall be certified as an instructor in accordance with these rules unless application is made in such form as the Council may establish.

(c) Individuals in the process of completion of Senior and Master Level Instructor Certification as of January 1, 2023 shall have two (2) years to complete said certification(s). Any person in the process of obtaining Senior and Master Level Instructor Certifications that fails to complete the requirements by January 1, 2025 shall forfeit their credit hours and be required to begin seeking Level III and Level IV Instructor Certification under these revised rules.

Individuals possessing General Instructor, Specialized Instructor (Driver Training, Firearms, Speed Detection, Defensive Tactics, Emergency Medical, Hazmat, and Master Resiliency) Certifications, as well as Senior and Master Instructor levels as of January 1, 2023 will be “grandfathered in,” maintaining their ability to teach in their previously certified areas.

464-6-.08 Guest Instructor Recognition. Amended. Guest Instructor Recognition. Because of the inherent nature of certain professions or particular skill levels achieved, certain individuals may be requested to instruct. Such persons shall be designated as guest instructors and shall be recognized by Council as such. Guest Instructor recognition shall be granted only by the written request of the academy director or a professional criminal justice association recognized by the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council. No certified officer shall be recognized as a guest instructor unless they have been awarded a "terminal degree" in the area of expertise that they are requesting to instruct.

A "terminal degree" is defined as the highest degree available in any given academic discipline.

Common examples of terminal degrees are Juris Doctorate (JD), Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), and Doctor of Medicine (MD).

POST shall have the sole determination in deeming an individual's terminal degree as sufficient to instruct in any given subject regardless of whether they hold a peace officer certification in the State of Georgia.

464-6-.09 Repealed

464-6-.10 Decertification. Amended. The Council may withdraw or suspend the certification of any instructor when it is determined that an instructor has:

(a) Violated any portion of Georgia Code 35-8-7.1 (Authority of Council to refuse certificate to applicant or to discipline certified peace officer or exempt peace officer; grounds; restoration of certificate) ;

(b) exhibited gross or patterned physical or verbal abuse of students;

(c) consistently or grossly failed to meet the standards of student performance objectives in approved lesson plans;

(d) intentionally or negligently endangered the safety of students or other instructors.

(e) failed to comply with the Rules of an academy or Council approved association.

464-6-.11 Emergency Instructor Certification Suspension. The Chairman and Executive Director of the Council, if in agreement, may, in an emergency situation, temporarily suspend the certification of any instructor, pending a meeting of the full Council, when it is determined that a meeting of the full Council will not be held for at least thirty days and it is is determined, after notice and an opportunity to be heard, that an instructor has intentionally or negligently endangered the safety of students or other instructors. Said suspension shall be effective only until the next meeting of the full Council.

464-6-.12 Repealed.

464-6-.13 Senior/Master Instructor Trainer Requirements. P.O.S.T. certified instructors may become senior and master instructor trainers by teaching in the P.O.S.T. Instructor Training Course (ITC) .

(a) Requirements for Senior Instructor trainer certification are:

1. Submission of application by a General or Specialized Instructor, approved by academy director or recognized state training organization;

2. Observation of a Senior/Master Instructor Trainer by applicant of a block of instruction designated in application;

3. Supervision of applicant teaching the designated topic by a Senior/ Master Instructor Trainer;

4. Submission of application/evaluation to P.O.S.T. Training Standards Division.

(b) Requirements for achieving the Master Instructor Trainer Certificate are:

1. Senior Instructor Trainer certification;

2. Accumulation of twenty (20) instructional points obtained as follows:

(i) Ten (10) of the points by instructing in the ITC; one (1) point only per ITC:

(ii) Student lesson plan/presentation evaluation; one (1) point per ITC.

3. If an instructor teaches and evaluates in an ITC, he/she can only acquire one (1) point. An applicant may accumulate more than ten (10) of the twenty (20) points by teaching; however, the applicant may not claim more than ten (10) points earned from evaluations.

4. Submission of application for Master Instructor Trainer to P.O.S.T. Training Standards Division.

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