Boston Globe: The state lacks a comprehensive database to track what kind of training police officers have undergone.

“There are a number of police officers, because of the lack of money departments have, they’re not getting any [specialized] training at all,’’ said Kenneth Scanzio, legislative director and vice president of the Massachusetts Coalition of Police and a member of the commission. “There’s a lot we have to work on to get our police training to better standards.’’

A staffing shortage has hampered the commission’s ability to develop new curriculums for recruits and for veterans’ refresher courses, known as in-service training.

Local departments are left to themselves to offer firearms training

Budget cuts have forced the elimination of specialized training such as internal affairs investigations, drug raid planning, and accident investigations and arson probes.

The state lacks a comprehensive database to track what kind of training officers have undergone, and no system is in place to test whether specialized officers, such as SWAT officers, have attended the required classes.


Link:
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2010/08/07/police_training_programs_lag_badly/?p1=News_links