Iowa Code § 80B.11 - Rules

1. The director of the academy, subject to the approval of the council, shall promulgate rules in accordance with the provisions of this chapter and chapter 17A, giving due consideration to varying factors and special requirements of law enforcement agencies relative to the following: a. Minimum entrance requirements, course of study, attendance requirements, and equipment and facilities required at approved law enforcement training schools. Minimum age requirements for entrance to approved law enforcement training schools shall be eighteen years of age. Minimum course of study requirements shall include a separate domestic abuse curriculum, which may include but is not limited to outside speakers from domestic abuse shelters and crime victim assistance organizations. Minimum course of study requirements shall also include a sexual assault curriculum. b. Minimum basic training requirements law enforcement officers employed after July 1, 1968, must complete in order to remain eligible for continued employment and the time within which such basic training must be completed. Minimum requirements shall mandate training devoted to the topic of domestic abuse and sexual assault. The council shall submit an annual report to the general assembly by January 15 of each year relating to the continuing education requirements devoted to the topic of domestic abuse, including the number of hours required, the substance of the classes offered, and other related matters. c. (1) Categories or classifications of advanced in-service training program and minimum courses of study and attendance requirements for such categories or classifications. (2) In-service training under this paragraph “c” shall include the requirement that all law enforcement officers complete a course on investigation, identification, and reporting of public offenses based on the race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, political affiliation, sex, sexual orientation, age, or disability of the victim. The director shall consult with the civil rights commission, the department of public safety, and the prosecuting attorneys training coordinator in developing the requirements for this course and may contract with outside providers for this course. (3) In-service training under this paragraph “c” shall include the requirement that all law enforcement officers complete a course on mental health at least once every four years. In developing the requirements for this training, the director shall seek input from mental health care providers and mental health care consumers. d. Within the existing curriculum, expanded training regarding racial and cultural awareness and dealing with gang-affected youth. e. Training standards on the subject of human trafficking, to include curricula on cultural sensitivity and the means to deal effectively and appropriately with trafficking victims. Such training shall encourage law enforcement personnel to communicate in the language of the trafficking victims. The course of instruction and training standards shall be developed by the director in consultation with the appropriate national and state experts in the field of human trafficking. f. Minimum standards of physical, educational, and moral fitness which shall govern the recruitment, selection, and appointment of law enforcement officers. g. Minimum standards of mental fitness which shall govern the initial recruitment, selection, and appointment of law enforcement officers. The rules shall include but are not limited to providing a battery of psychological tests to determine cognitive skills, personality characteristics, and suitability of an applicant for a law enforcement career. However, this battery of tests need only be given to applicants being considered in the final selection process for a law enforcement position. Notwithstanding any provision of chapter 400, an applicant shall not be hired if the employer determines from the tests that the applicant does not possess sufficient cognitive skills, personality characteristics, or suitability for a law enforcement career. The director of the academy shall provide for the cognitive and psychological examinations and their administration to the law enforcement agencies or applicants, and shall identify and procure persons who can be hired to interpret the examinations. h. Grounds for revocation or suspension of a law enforcement officer’s certification. i. Exemptions from particular provisions of this chapter in case of any state, county, or city, if, in the opinion of the council, the standards of law enforcement training established and maintained by the governmental agency are as high or higher than those established pursuant to this chapter; or revocation in whole or in part of such exemption, if in its opinion the standards of law enforcement training established and maintained by the governmental agency are lower than those established pursuant to this chapter. j. Minimum qualifications for instructors in public safety telecommunicator training schools. k. Minimum qualifications for instructors in law enforcement and jailer training schools. 2. A certified course of instruction provided for under this section which occurs at a location other than at the central training facility of the Iowa law enforcement academy shall not be eliminated by the Iowa law enforcement academy. [C71, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, §80B.11] 84 Acts, ch 1245, §1 – 3; 84 Acts, ch 1246, §1; 85 Acts, ch 208, §2; 89 Acts, ch 62, §1, 2; 91 Acts, ch 218, §2; 91 Acts, ch 219, §1; 92 Acts, ch 1157, §1; 92 Acts, ch 1238, §20; 93 Acts, ch 169, §15; 94 Acts, ch 1172, §1; 96 Acts, ch 1061, §1; 96 Acts, ch 1201, §1; 99 Acts, ch 70, §1; 2003 Acts, ch 87, §2; 2006 Acts, ch 1074, §1; 2007 Acts, ch 22, §18; 2008 Acts, ch 1031, §25; 2012 Acts, ch 1079, §1; 2020 Acts, ch 1077, §1; 2022 Acts, ch 1112, §1 Referred to in §80B.13, 80B.13A, 400.8