Background Investigation Manual
Guidelines for the Investigator
The "POST Background Investigation Manual: Guidelines for the Investigator" provides guidance to assist background investigators in the conduct of background investigations of both peace officers and public safety dispatchers. The Manual was revised in December 2009 to incorporate the new POST selection requirements for peace officers and public safety dispatchers (Commission Regulations 9050-9060) that went into effect July 2009. The Manual contains descriptions of the statutory and regulatory requirements that must be addressed as part of the background investigation. The Personal History Statements and other sample forms are included, along with a step-by-step explanation of the investigative process, a topic-by-topic explanation of the areas of investigation, and the expectations and common problems detected during POST compliance inspections.
The Manual is formatted for, and may be printed, two-sided (back-to-back). Hyperlinks throughout the online Manual allow for easy access to many of the referenced codes, regulations, and other source documents. The Adobe Acrobat bookmark feature can be used to navigate through the Manual.
Publication
Personal History Statements
Agencies may request “unprotected” versions of these forms for agency-specific use only. Requests for unprotected versions of the forms, as well as administrative questions about the forms, should be directed to the POST Forms Manager. Substantive questions about these forms should be directed to Melani Singley of the Standards and Evaluation Services Bureau at (916) 227-4258.
Sample Forms
Revised tabbed dividers for organizing background reports of peace officers and public safety dispatchers are available and may be ordered from the Training Delivery and Compliance Bureau at (916) 227-4862 or your Regional Consultant.