DPSST Stakeholder Update - April 1, 2020

Constituent/Agency Partners ~ 

 

Below is the weekly update from DPSST sharing information relating to our agency’s response to COVID-19 crisis, and its impact on our partners around the state.

 

Regulatory:

Maintenance Training: DPSST filed a temporary administrative rule, effective today (4/1), that halts the suspension of any public safety certification for a failure to meet all or part of the DPSST maintenance training requirements.

The Executive Committee memo and temporary OAR language can be found here: https://www.oregon.gov/dpsst/SC/Pages/TempRulesFiledSoS.aspx

 

Please know that this rule does not suspend or lessen the maintenance training requirements. Our staff will continue to monitor training hours, and continue to make notifications to your agencies and officers when maintenance hours are due. What we will not do is suspend any certification for a failure to obtain or report hours because of COVID-19.

 

This temporary rule is a recognized “band-aid” implemented to provide immediate piece of mind for agencies and officers/dispatchers who are focused on providing emergency services in their communities during the COVID emergency. We will continue to work with our Board on developing long-term plans for how to reconcile maintenance training hours/cycles following this emergency, and to ensure compliance with any future directives issued by the Governor or legislature.

 

Pre-Employment Physical Exams: We have received numerous calls and emails from agencies who have hired new officers or dispatchers and are unable to meet DPSST’s pre-employment physical standards due to medical facilities being shut down or reprioritizing services. This standard and our internal procedures as they exist allows for flexibility on the timeline for which the physical exam must be conducted. At this time DPSST’s only requirement is that a physical exam be conducted and all minimum standards satisfied prior to an officer/dispatcher being allowed entry into any Basic training academy or any Career-Officer Development Course.

 

Training:

 

Basic/Leadership Criminal Justice Training: Last week we reported the decision to postpone all Basic and Leadership training courses occurring on campus until at least May 11^th.

 

At this point all that can be confirmed is that we still don’t anticipate any portion of the training function being restarted prior to this date. While I’m not prepared to extend that timeline, the unfortunately reality is that the continued chaos and uncertainty of the COVID situation will more than likely delay our ability to return to full operations even longer.

 

We continue to explore every possible scenario with respect to restarting the training functions of DPSST, including staggering class return/start dates and online training options.

 

We recognize the impact our Academy shutdown has on every one of your agencies and will continue to provide regular updates as warranted. In the meantime, our training staff are taking full advantage of this downtime by working together to ensure training/instruction continuity across all venues, conducting thorough reviews of our training curricula and addressing many other housekeeping efforts that our rigorous training schedule over the last several years has prevented.

 

Scheduling of DPSST Venues: DPSST has placed an indeterminate hold on outside entities being able to schedule any DPSST venues, including training venues. This decision has been made in recognition of the Governor’s Executive Order, but also to afford absolute flexibility for finding solutions to reestablish DPSST training programs.

 

Regional Training: Our ability to provide regional training classes will remain limited for the immediate future. Your agencies are encouraged to contact the Coordinator in your region for updates, requests or additional information.

 

General:

• Reminder - the 2020 Fallen Law Enforcement Officer Memorial ceremony will take place on May 5^th, but will be closed to the general public in order to comply with the Governor’s Executive Order. 
• A survey was recently sent to Agency Heads requesting our public safety partners report the number of budgeted positions within their agency that require DPSST training/certification be earned and maintained. The number reported should include all positions, regardless if the position is currently vacant, filled by someone needing training/certification, or someone who is already trained/certified. This request is different than what we’ve historically requested, which was only vacant positions. Our hope is that having a clear picture of the total number of positions for each discipline, along with our ability to manipulate the data we already have, will allow for more accurate forecasting for budgeting and scheduling purposes.  
• A number of DPSST staff, including Director Gabliks, have been deployed to assist the Office of Emergency Management’s Emergency Coordination Center (ECC). I have assumed the role of Acting Director of the DPSST in the Director’s absence. Any questions or concerns relating to the operations of DPSST normally directed to Eriks can come to my attention.

Contact information:

Linsay.Hale@state.or.us

(503) 378-2427 - Office

(503) 490-1019 - Cell

 

We thank you all for your continued patience, flexibility and support. We will continue to use this platform to ensure that you have the most up-to-date information about DPSST’s operations and our plans for continuing to meet our agency’s mission.

Stay safe,

Linsay Hale

Professional Standards/Interim Training Division Director

DPSST