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Department of Safety and Homeland Security Police Officer Standards and Training Commission

Certification

The Police Officer Standards and Training Commission is responsible with establishing and governing police officer certification. Certification is required for anyone authorized to perform as a police officer in the state of Delaware.

Please refer to the adjoining tabs for initial certification, re-activation (re-employment), reciprocity, and hearing processes and requirements.

Agency Compliance

A police force of any county or municipality which does not meet the requirement and criteria established by the Commission will be ineligible to apply for or receive state aid to local law enforcement funds (SALLE) and may, if in accordance with the guidelines, also be prohibited from receiving other grant funding through the state such as the Fund to Combat Violent Crime (FCVC) and the Emergency Illegal Drug Enforcement (EIDE) program funds.

The Chief or Head of any Law Enforcement Agency that is found to be in non-compliance with any of the established criteria of POST shall be required to appear before the POST Commission and provide explanation as to the reason for non-compliance and measures taken to become compliant.

Failure of any police officer to complete his/her annual POST mandated in-service training shall be grounds for suspension of his/her certification until such training is completed. The Commission may stay, extend, waive or modify such suspension when it is shown that the failure to comply with the requirements was not due to the intentional avoidance of the annual training requirements or upon a showing of hardship upon the employing law enforcement agency.

POST is a state training and certifying body and is NOT owned by any specific agency, Town, City, or County. Therefore, POST certification cannot be included in any separation agreements between certified law enforcement officers and their former or current employers, Courts, Department of Justice, Union Affiliates or other entities representing the law enforcement officers or said employers, or any other interested parties.

Reference: Delaware Code Title 11 Chapter 84 §8404  |  Title 11 Chapter 84 §8410