Utah law requires all potential peace officers to receive basic training before they can be certified and function with any authority in the state. The full session Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Basic Training program is 15 weeks and provides the required training for law enforcement officers. POST also oversees and regulates several satellite academies which also offer basic training programs.
POST conducts six regular sessions per year. The six regular sessions are divided into two blocks, the Special Function Block and the Law Enforcement block. The Special Function block is five weeks of training. The Law Enforcement block consists of an additional ten weeks of training.
To be certified as a Law Enforcement Officer, a person must complete both blocks.
Examples of instruction include:
- Legal issues
- Criminal code
- Court procedures
- Bill of rights/amendments
- Integrity/honesty/responsibility
- Defensive tactics
- Use of force
- Driving
- Firearms training
- Physical fitness
- Public and human relations
- Traffic control
- Securing the scene of a crime
- Interviewing witnesses, victims, and suspects
- Handling domestic disturbances
- Practical demonstrations in various phases of law enforcement work