The Public Safety Officer Standards and Training Council (POST) appeared before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Section D on Jan. 17 to review its program budget, staffing and recent administrative changes since the 2023 session.

"POST is an independent, quasi‑judicial board," Timothy Allred, executive director of POST, told the committee. He described POST’s mission: to set training and certification standards for public‑safety officers, approve training, and investigate complaints that can lead to suspension or revocation of certifications.

Allred and legislative staff outlined changes to the program’s budget and staffing after POST shifted from a bureau to an administratively attached entity. Walker Hopkins, who presented budget pages to the committee, said the program’s budget figures in committee materials were revised after POST notified staff it would not pursue a $125,000 per year contested‑case counseling request (DP 1902). Hopkins said the revised biennial request is roughly $510,000 per year and that the program’s earlier displayed totals should be adjusted to reflect the removal of DP 1902.

POST requested that 1.5 modified positions approved in prior years be converted to permanent positions at a $0 net cost by moving previously budgeted operating authority into personal services (DP 1901). Allred told the committee the agency’s workload — investigations, audits of training, certification issuance, and operating a new training database — justifies making the modified positions permanent.

Allred highlighted operational work and recent investments. He said POST issued more than 900 certificates in the last year and that public‑safety officers completed over 262,000 hours of POST‑approved training in 2024. He described new case‑management reporting provided to the interim law‑and‑justice committee that reduced active investigations by about half since January 2024, which POST attributed to adding a 0.5 modified investigator to focus on cases and reduce backlog.

Database purchase and shared contract: POST described acquiring a training records system (Cadence) under a joint contract with the Montana Law Enforcement Academy, Montana Highway Patrol and Department of Corrections. Allred told the committee the agencies split costs and migrated roughly 17,000 officer records into the new portal; the three‑year contract covers software, hosting and updates. POST said the system lets officers track training, submit certification materials and helps POST audit and manage training compliance.

POST also described transparency initiatives. The agency publishes an "integrity report" showing closed disciplinary actions and, beginning in December, a process to recognize officers for positive community work through nominations. Allred said the council has tightened case reporting to the interim committee, showing the number of open investigations and projected time to completion.

Law enforcement associations and county groups testified in support. Nanette Gilbertson, representing the Montana Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association and the Montana County Attorneys Association, said the association endorses the POST budget and praised the council’s independent status for accountability and transparency.

Where the money goes: Hopkins reported POST had expended about 92.5% of its modified HB2 budget in fiscal 2024, with operating expenses at about 77.3% expended. The program’s budget is primarily supported by a Montana Law Enforcement Academy state special revenue account. Allred asked that a small recent reduction be restored and that the 1.5 modified positions be made permanent without an additional appropriation.

Next steps: the committee did not take immediate executive action. Members asked for updated green‑sheet pages and clarified the narrative would remain as submitted until executive action. POST and staff agreed to provide updated budget narratives and to support follow‑up questions about staffing, training audits, database operations and the outreach plan for coroners and other POST‑overseen disciplines.

Ending note: the subcommittee scheduled additional work sessions and offered to coordinate a site visit to Montana Law Enforcement Academy facilities; several members said an on‑site tour would help them evaluate space, classroom and canine‑training needs.