Rule 23 – Academy Skills Instructors 
Revised December 5, 2008 - Effective March 1, 2009

(a)	Recognition of academy skills instructors.

(I)	A skills instructor may be recognized to teach at an approved academy as either an assistant skills instructor or a full skills instructor in each of the three (3) required skills training programs:  arrest control, law enforcement driving, and firearms.

(II)	All skills instructors who teach any portion of a skills training program at a P.O.S.T. approved basic or reserve training academy shall be qualified and approved as required by this Rule. 

(III)	Each academy shall maintain 	the applicable certificates of completion and/or documentation for all skills instructors.

(IV)	New academies requesting P.O.S.T. approval and P.O.S.T. approved academies that have not conducted an academy within the previous three (3) years shall submit the appropriate documentation to P.O.S.T. and obtain approval for all assistant skills instructors and all full skills instructors. 

(b)	Assistant skills instructors. 

(I)	An assistant skills instructor may instruct under the direction and in the presence of a full skills instructor and assist in evaluating and coaching trainees.

(II)	Minimum qualifications for an assistant skills instructor:

(A)	In order to begin serving or to serve as an assistant skills instructor, a person must have successfully completed the relevant approved skills instructor training program (See Rule 1, Definitions.); and 

(B)	For arrest control skills instructors, the relevant approved skills instructor training program shall be the same recognized discipline for arrest control training in which the person will be instructing.

(C)	Effective July 1, 2007, for firearms skills instructors, the relevant approved  skills instructor training program shall have been completed within five (5) years prior to application for skills instructor status.  If the relevant approved skills instructor training program was completed more than five years prior to application, documentation of continuing or advanced firearms training completed within the previous five (5) years shall be included with the application for instructor status.

(III)	Approval of assistant skills instructors. 

(A)	All new assistant firearms skills instructors shall be approved by P.O.S.T.; and 

(B)	For all new firearms skills instructors, the relevant skills instructor training program shall have been completed within five (5) years prior to application for skills instructor status.  If the relevant approved skills instructor training program was completed more than five years prior to application, documentation of continuing or advanced firearms training completed within the previous five (5) years shall be included with the application for instructor status.

(C)	P.O.S.T. will review certificates of completion and/or documentation for arrest control and driving assistant skills instructors if an academy director or new assistant skills instructor applicant is not certain that a particular instructor training program qualifies as the relevant approved skills instructor training program.

(D)	Either the academy director or the assistant skills instructor applicant may submit the certificates of completion and/or documentation to P.O.S.T. for review.

(c)	Full skills instructors.

(I)	A full skills instructor may develop, implement, and evaluate a skills training program.  In order to begin serving or to serve as a full skills instructor, a person must have satisfied the four (4) minimum qualifications listed in the following paragraph (II).

(II)	Minimum qualifications for a full skills instructor:

(A)	Successful completion of the relevant approved skills instructor training program (See Rule 1, Definitions.); and 

(B)	Successful completion of an approved forty (40) hour instruction methodology training program or possession of a Colorado Career and Technical Education Credential; and 

(C)	Must complete an approved 8-hour Instructor Methodology Refresher Course each five (5) years thereafter; and 

(D)	Completion of a minimum of eighty (80) hours of instructional experience as an assistant skills instructor at an approved basic or reserve training academy in the corresponding skills training program:  arrest control, law enforcement driving, or firearms.  For arrest control training, the eighty (80) hours may be completed in any recognized discipline(s) for arrest control training in which the instructor has completed the relevant approved skills instructor training program.  For firearms training, the eighty (80) hours as an assistant skills instructor shall be completed within the previous five (5) years prior to application.

(III)	Approval of full skills instructors.

(A)	All new full skills instructors must be approved by the Board in consultation with the corresponding subject matter expert committee(s) for arrest control, law enforcement driving or firearms prior to serving as a full skills instructor.

(B)	For all firearms skills instructors, the relevant skills instructor training program shall have been completed within five (5) years prior to application for skills instructor status.  If the relevant approved skills instructor training program was completed more than five years prior to application, documentation of continuing or advanced firearms training completed within the previous five (5) years shall be included with the application for instructor status.

(C)	To apply for approval as a full skills instructor, either the academy director or the full skills instructor applicant, if the applicant has no current academy affiliation, may submit the appropriate documentation to P.O.S.T. to substantiate that the minimum qualifications have been satisfied. 

(D)	A written statement from the director of the academy where the applicant served as an assistant skills instructor is acceptable documentation as it applies to the eighty (80) hour requirement.  The statement must include the applicant’s full name and the dates and number of hours of the applicant’s completed instructional experience.

(E)	Instructional experience completed at other than an approved basic or reserve training academy may be considered as part of the eighty (80) hour requirement.  However, the full skills instructor applicant must request a variance in accordance with P.O.S.T. Rule 7, Variances, and the applicant may be required to appear in person before the appropriate subject matter expert committee to demonstrate skills instructional proficiency. 

(F)	The completed documents received at P.O.S.T. will be reviewed by P.O.S.T. in consultation with the appropriate subject matter expert committee during the committee’s next regularly scheduled meeting.

(G)	P.O.S.T. will provide written notification to the academy director or the full skills instructor applicant who submitted the documents as to whether the applicant was approved or denied approval as a full skills instructor.

(d)	Lead skills instructors.

(I)	A lead skills instructor is a full skills instructor who may be designated by 	the academy director to oversee or coordinate the administration of a specific skills program of a particular academy class.

(II)	Lead skills instructors require no additional approval by P.O.S.T. beyond approval as a full skills instructor.

(III)	P.O.S.T. will review certificates of completion and/or documentation for lead skills instructors only as such documentation pertains to approval as a full skills instructor.

(e)	Any applicant denied approval under section (b) or (c) of this Rule may appeal such denial in writing to the Director within ten days of notification of denial.