P.O.S.T. ensures that public safety officers are equipped with the training, skills and information necessary to protect and serve Georgia's citizens. All new police and detention officers, as well as those new to these positions in Georgia, must become P.O.S.T certified. Officers must maintain certification by completing additional training each year. Law enforcement agencies often require police officer applicants to be P.O.S.T. certified when they are hired. Other agencies will hire "trainees" who are not certified and will pay for their training and certification. In these instances, the trainee often signs a contract stating that he will not work for any other Georgia law enforcement agency for a set period of time, often two to three years.
All peace officer candidates must complete a basic training course.Training usually occurs at a P.O.S.T. certified academy. Applicants may appeal to have training at another accepted facility if the training is at least equivalent to that provided at P.O.S.T. institutions. Academy students, called "cadets," receive instruction in CPR, investigative techniques, basics of criminal law, report writing, crime prevention, media interaction, crime scene processing, defensive tactics, organized crime and other critical information areas. Cadets must pass weekly academic examinations. Cadets must also "qualify" on the shooting range and must pass the Emergency Vehicle Operation Course (EVOC).
Police officer candidates in Georgia must be 18 years old, be a United States citizen and possess a high school diploma or equivalent. Candidates are fingerprinted and must pass a background check, an interview and both physical and psychological evaluations. Georgia code further requires that all peace officer candidates "possess good moral character as determined by investigation under procedure established by the council."
All Georgia police officers must complete 20 hours of training each year. This requirement is waived if the officer completed his basic training course after April 1 of that year or if the officer is inactive for the entire year. Officers completing even one shift in a year must meet the additional training requirement or they lose their power of arrest. The officer, not her department, is responsible for ensuring that she receives the required training. However, some agencies allow on-duty training.
As of 2010, there were 24 Georgia P.O.S.T. certified academies including 14 Regional Academies, seven academies associated with technical colleges, two unclassified training facilities and the State Academy in Forsyth. Regional Academies are located in Athens, Atlanta, Austell, Blythe, College Park, Columbus, Dalton, Jonesboro, Lawrenceville, Lithonia, Macon, Marietta, Savannah, and Tifton. Technical College Academies are located in Alpharetta, Americus, Augusta, Calhoun, Claxton, Covington, and Savannah. A detailed list can be found under "Academies" at www.gapost.org.